The Sanctuary
by Randomize The Universes
Summary: The region of Kurai has known peace for quite some time now. But what happens when Kurai comes under attack by a mysterious organization hell bent on destroying the Elite Four and Gym Leaders? A story of Seth Abramson, his Pokémon, and other members of Kurai's Council to defeat and save Kurai from this organization. Originally a randomized scenario I made a long time ago. #Comeback
1. Chapter I: Introducting the Elites

**Chapter I: Introducing the Elites**

Tap, tap, tap, tap. That was the only noise made in the great hall several figures were currently seated in. Tap, tap, tap. Again the fingers found themselves tapping against the surface of the stone table they were all gathered around. The fingers belonged to a slender hand, that hand trailed up to an arm, and that arm belonged to a body. That body was unique to that person alone. The person who had been tapping the stone table was one Nelda Griffin. Nelda was currently sat at the head of the stone table, dignifying her status. Champion of the Karui region. She'd been champion for seven years and counting. No matter who was able to beat her Elite Four and get to her, they all met the same end. Defeat. They all loss to her. Simple as that.

Nelda was a blonde haired woman, her hair was tied back into a simple ponytail most of the time, a naturally thin woman, currently in her late twenties, though she never liked talking about her age, and icy blue eyes and even colder personality. Hell, she even used a variety of Ice type Pokemon. So her being dubbed the "Ice Queen" by people of the region and by some members of the Gym Leader and Elite Four Council seemed appropriate. She was growing more and more impatient, something strange especially for someone with a supposed cold and calculating mind. However the calling of her name and a question directed to her brought her out of her stupor. She looked to her left, from her seat at the head of the stone table. A man in his mid teens seemed to be addressing her.

"Huh?" She asked the teen seated on the left side of the table.

"I said, 'you feeling okay sister?'" The teen asked. Yes, you heard that right, the teen calling Nelda 'sister'. The teen was her younger brother, the third member of the Elite Four. One George Griffin. George inherited many things from his family that made him undoubtedly Nelda's younger brother. Blonde hair to match hers, not as long as his sister's just reaching the back of his neck and naturally able to stay out of his face thanks to a little bit of combing. The thin body and icy blue eyes matching hers. The only thing that set the two apart was their personalities. Where Nelda was non-sociable and reclusive. Her brother was the exact opposite to her. Outgoing, sociable, and much friendlier to people. He was given the nickname of the "Dragon Prince." The dragon part came from his use of Dragon types mainly. The prince part came to be because many believed he'd be the one to best his sister one day and become the next champion. Hence the second half of his nickname.

"Yes, I'm feeling fine George. Just a bit tired. Both from a lack of sleep and waiting for our other guests to arrive, so we can discuss the business concerning our region." She pointed out while trying to rub the remaining sleep from her eyes. She could hear a laugh coming from her right. The laughter coming from a dark brown haired woman, which reached the base of her neck.

"And what is so funny to you Keri?" Nelda asked with irritation present in her voice.

"It's just funny seeing the normally calm and cool collected 'Ice Queen' affected by a lack of sleep. I've seen you go many days with way less sleep than this and come out not affected by it at all." Keri said back to her. Still laughing and leaning back in her seat. Keri was a welcome sight among the more serious members of the Elite Four. Although, George was much friendlier and sociable than his sister. He was just as serious if not more, since the pressure of being the 'next successor' being put on him. Keri Weekes was just an all around cheery and nice person to be around for many. Mid twenties, carefree, and average everything about her body. More importantly the second member of the Elite Four. She was given the nickname the "Princess of the Sky," and you can believe she took it to heart. Going as far as making a strange head ornament made of all of her Flying type Pokemon's feathers that had molted off at one point. It actually fit the way she looked.

"I'm sure laughing at our champion won't calm her down Keri. So I think it'd be best to keep it to a low giggle please?" asked a short and timid girl who was sat next to Keri.

"Oh come on now Faylinn. I'm not bugging her that bad. Am I Nelda?" Keri questioned with amusement. Nelda grumbled something, only causing Keri to laugh more.

"Oh, I can feel today is going to be a long day." Faylinn said. Faylinn Disney was the fourth member of the Elite Four. She was on the shorter side. Long honey brown hair going to the middle of her back. Strange purple eyes, a pixie nose, sometimes a worry wart, but a bright spirited person nonetheless. What was strange about it was she could sense people's emotions very easily, no one truly knew how she did it or how adapt at it she was. She could usually guess a person's emotions even if they were complete strangers. She was appropriately given the nickname of "The Sprite." She looked like a fairy. Using mainly Fairy types didn't help her case either. It didn't bother her being called 'Sprite', but her size and youthful body had her on more than one occasion reminding a trainer or two that she was twenty. Hard to believe? Join the rest of the trainers who don't believe as well. She inherited her position from her mother after her retirement from the Elite Four. Though many doubted her abilities to match her mother's skill. She quickly silenced her critics and proved many wrong. Faylinn couldn't help but glance at their most silent member of the Elite Four. A tall dark skinned man in his mid thirties, currently keeping his eyes shut in acts to fake sleep and to block out Keri's laughter.

"Hey Carr. How do you feel about our poor Ice Queen's lack of sleep and lack of humor." Keri asked Carr. Her amusement was ever present. Carr simply opened one of his eyes, grunted, and closed his eye again. "Oh come on Carr. You can at least humor me." The Princess whined. Instead of opening his eye, he simply turned his head away from her. "Oh you're no fun Carr. Always such a rotten egg you are, not ever wanting to have fun." Keri complained.

"You really should learn when to keep your voice down. It seems our Champion is getting a little tired of hearing you talk to yourself. As am I." Carr said to Keri from across the table. A single eye glaring at here. Keri immediately stopped her laughing. Carr Rush, the first member of the Elite Four. Carr was a built man, his black hair cut close to his scalp, a scar running down one of his cheeks, and an ever present scowl on his face. However what made him most famous was his always torn and in disrepair Gi he always seemed to wear. A user of Fighting types, and the undoubted greatest Fighting type trainer to grace the region. His torn Gi and already darkened skin, came from his constant training with his fighting types in the most extreme conditions to push his team to their very best. Generously dubbed the "Final Fighting Elite," however the other nicknames given to him were less than kind about him, mainly those nicknames given by a 'disrespectful' Gym Leader. Before he was able to continue his talk with Keri, an advisor walked into the room.

"Champion Nelda, the Leaders of the region have begun to arrive. The meeting will begin as soon as all members have arrived." The advisor said respectfully to Nelda.

"Thank you for the notice Dunmire." Nelda said, with a sideways glance at the advisor, head placed on one of her hands. "Well as per code, I guess our Pokemon should come on out as well." Nelda said to her colleagues at the stone table. Grabbing a pokeball from her belt, she opened it up next to her. In a flash of red, a large white furred creature appeared next to her, the creatures strangest feature was his strange ice like beard under its jaw. "Good morning Beartic. Hopefully you enjoyed your sleep more than I did, because you're going to need it for this meeting." Nelda said to her strongest and oldest Pokemon. The other members of the Elite Four released their strongest Pokemon as well. Carr releasing his Lucario. There were scars that adorned his Lucario as well. They said nothing to each other, only a simple glance to one another and a nod was needed. The Lucario as well found himself imitating his trainer's posture. Arms crossed over his chest, head tucked to his chest, and eyes closed. However both their eyes opened when they heard Keri greeting her Pokémon.

"Good morning Braviary!" Keri squealed hugging it tight a big goofy grin plastered on her face. It seemed to return Keri's hug with its wings. The action made Keri giggle quite a bit. Braviary had been one of her oldest Pokemon. Having him since a very young age. So their friendship was probably the best among the Elite Four. Hell, Keri more than likely had the best relation with all of her Pokemon. Braviary broke the hug, and found his perch on the headrest of the chair Keri was sitting in. Meanwhile next to her, Faylinn had a small smile on her face, as she pet her Sylveon. Her strongest Pokemon. The fairy type had found a nice spot on Faylinn's lap and made itself comfortable. Faylinn couldn't help but run her hand through Sylveon's soft fur.

"Hey easy now! I know you just woke up, but easy now! Hey don't stretch those wings so far!" Shouting could be heard across the table as George's Druddigon began stretching its wings and large body to rid the sleep from his tired body. Druddigon was a large beast. He had a strange relationship with George always doing anything to annoy him and get under his skin and test his patience. Many found it amusing to laugh at George's problems when he dealt with his Druddigon. Though George never saw the humor in watching his panic and distress when dealing with Druddigon. George was finally able to get Druddigon positioned in a good spot as to give him enough room to occupy. Thankfully, as the first hall's door began to open and the first batch of the arrivals entered the grand hall...

* * *

 **AN: Yeah so I decided to do something with a randomizer I did a while ago, and I wanted to write a story about it. I actually don't know if there will be this long over arcing story. I just kind of want to write about this randomized world and scenario I came up with. There'll probably be villains and conflict down the line, just nothing that big for the first few chapters or so.**

 **Also feel free to make fun of my writing skills or you know give me some pointers or something.**

 **You can also give critique on the characters or make predictions about them. Or even make suggestions.**

 **Also thanks for reading this first chapter anyway. It was really nice of you to.**

 **2nd AN: Hopefully I've been able to make this chapter seem a bit better, I think this chapter has the least amount of mistakes, because of how short it is in comparison to the rest of the other chapters.**


	2. Chapter II: Leaders of Kurai

**Chapter II: Leaders of Kurai**

The Champion sat in her spot at the head of the table, and her colleagues of Elite Four taking the next four seats on her left and right, watched as the door to the grand hall swung open. Awaiting for who would enter the hall first and who would be entering last. The first person to enter the door was a tall and slender man, in his early thirties, his black hair slicked back, clad in a dress shirt and pants, and closely followed by a Gardevoir and Gallade. The man gave the air of a classic gentleman, a rose in his shirt pocket and everything. The man even called himself the "Classiest Individual in all of Kurai." However, he was just given the nickname of the "Psychic Gentleman." Dunmire, the hall's advisor ran up to him to take his name and the city he came from. It was an outdated system for sure, but it was always important to see who was actually coming to the region meetings, who was missing from them, and the date in which a new leader took over his predecessor.

"Edric Platt, Gym Leader of Hiros City." The black haired man said suavely. Dunmire finished writing his name down and gave him the all good to take his spot at the table. "I see I' am the first of the Gym Leaders to arrive as usual. Not a surprise there though." He said to the Champion and Elite Four as he took his seat next to Faylinn. "Ms. Disney you are looking just as bright and lively as you usually do. The day certainly has graced you with endless beauty." He said to the young Sprite. Faylinn couldn't help but hide her blush from Edric.

"Thank you Edric, that's very kind of you to say." Faylinn responded back, a small blush ever present on her face. Before anyone could continue, Faylinn's Sylveon jumped from her spot in Faylinn's lap and into Gardevoir's arm. The Gardevoir couldn't help but give her version of a giggle as the Sylveon nuzzled itself into the Gardevor's face. Laughter came from the table, except for Carr and Nelda. "I guess it has been a while since they've seen each other, your Pokemon always got along so well with mine Edric." Faylinn said.

"Well Ms. Disney it comes from Psychic and Fairy type Pokemon being very similar in characteristics. Of course they'd get along." Edric replied. Continuing to watch the Sylveon nuzzle into Gardevoir only for it to jump into the Gallade's arms. Edric's situation for his Pokemon was simple. His Gardevoir and Gallade were on equal ground with one another, so he only saw it right to have them both out during the meeting. A clearing of a throat caught Edric's attention. The noise came from Kurai's Champion.

"I assume there were no troubles in for Kurai's strongest Gym Leader's travels." Nelda asked with a small smirk present.

"No troubles at all Ms. Griffin it was a smooth travel from Hiros City to the Elite Four. However if I may say, you seem to be getting a lack of sleep. I should suggest getting some more sleep." Edric told the Ice Queen. A small giggle could be heard from beyond Faylinn. More than likely coming from Keri. Before Nelda could say anything, another person entered the grand hall. A woman in her mid twenties walked into grand hall. Her long dark purple hair seemingly frizzled out, giving her a crazy and or deranged look. Her dark purple dress went below her knees, and various charms and necklaces hung from her body.

"Gardi Grieve, Leader of Porosal City," the lady said, it was evident that she was lacking in sleep more than Nelda was. However Gardi's lack of sleep was natural for her, it wasn't easy for someone as adept as her to simply get sleep when she could talk and hear spirits non stop.

"Come on Dusknoir, you have to come in." The tired gym leader said, as she seemingly dragged her body to her spot on the table. As soon as she sat in her seat, her head smacked the table and all that could be heard was snoring.

"Should… should we wake her up?" George asked the table in general. Before he could respond Gardi's prized Pokemon appeared, phasing through the stone table below him. George wanted to yell however no sound came out of his mouth. The Pokemon simply put a finger to where its mouth would be signalling for some quiet.

"Dusknoir…" It said eerily, before taking its position near his trainer, floating over her to seemingly try and protect her sleep. Gardi was the third member of the Gym Leaders of Kurai. As most could tell she was Kurai's resident Ghost type Leader and expert on all sorts of ghostly and spiritual matters in Kurai. Which attributed to her always looking and acting so tired. Her nickname as the 'Ghostly Envoy' seemed to fit to a 'T'. As the rest of the members of Kurai sat at the table in a silent awkwardness, a loud commotion could be heard coming from the hallway. Yelling and name calling could be heard. All the members currently at the table could do was sigh as they knew who was entering the hall next. As if on cue two forms stumbled in, an oranged haired man and a brown haired woman. All the table could do as watched as the two seemingly wrestled on the floor for ages. Both swapping who took turns on top of each other. Chokeholds, punching, kicking, and biting were being put on display by the two.

"Quit biting me you crazy bitch!" The orange haired man yelled at the brown haired woman, whom he currently was holding in a headlock. The pain in his arm was growing greatly as the brown haired woman continued to bite down hard on his arm, until he was forced to let go.

"Arceus damn Hertha! That hurts you know!" He yelled at her, as he began to stand up. Still panting from their early scuffle outside the grand hall.

"Shut up Rowtag! At least I wasn't the one choking someone!" The brown haired girl now known as Hertha replied, seemingly massaging her neck from the chokehold she was previously held in.

"I only did that because you kicked me in the knees earlier when we began our race! I didn't know you were a dirty cheater!" The orange haired man now known as Rowtag yelled back at her. Their noses were pressed together. They were seemingly ready to go for another round of scuffling. They would've continued had their respective Pokemon not separated them by force. Rowtag's Magmortar was having trouble holding back his flame haired master as he continued his thrashing in Magmortar's arms. Hertha was doing quite the same, however this time being held up by her Krookodile. Both of the Pokemon were sweat dropping at their respective trainers childish actions. It only took a couple minutes for both of them to be seemingly out of energy and had stopped struggling. The Pokemon eventually released their holds on them, hoping they wouldn't go at each other again.

"Now." Both of the Gym Leaders turned their heads towards Nelda who had finally spoken up after watching the whole affair between the two. "If you're both done exercising and tiring your selves out. I think it'd be best if you reported in and took your seats." Nelda finished simply, watching as both the Gym Leaders were red with embarrassment as they just now realized the current table of Leaders and Elites had seen their scuffle occur. They quietly walked towards Dunmire to report in.

"Hertha Marchand, Leader of Osgrou Town." She said plainly. Hertha as noted by both her name and her Krookodile was Kurai's Ground type Gym Leader and fourth member of the Kurai Gym Leaders. Her brown hair, brown eyes, and smudges of dirt on her clothing fit her quite well. She was not only the Gym Leader, but was also the head of the Marchand Mining Company headquartered in Osgrou. Osgrou provided most, if not all of Kurai's earthly resources, and Hertha took that responsibility greatly after her father had stepped down from his position as CEO of the mining company. Her nickname of the 'Dirty Digger' was a compliment to her, she enjoyed working alongside others in the mines and wasn't afraid of the mines or getting dirty. She took her seat next to Edric, not wanting to make eye contact with any of the other members of the table. "Not a single word Keri." Hertha said in a very uncharacteristically cold tone.

"Rowtag Underwood, Leader of Baire City." The orange haired man said in a now calm collected tone. Quite a contrast to his hot tempered and easy to angry personality the table saw earlier. Rowtag current Fire type Gym Leader of Baire City. His nickname of the 'Burning Battalion' was actually not aimed at him specifically. It was given to both him and his team. Behind Carr, Rowtag was the hardest working trainer in Kurai. His attitude and demeanor came from his time served in the Kurai Military. He was usually calm and collected, though those like Hertha could get under his skin and revert him back to his old hot headed personality, that few rarely saw. His hard work ethic definitely earned him the spot of Kurai's fifth Gym Leader. He took his seat next to the still sleeping Gardi, surprised she was still asleep after the loud scuffle between him and Hertha. he simply glared at Hertha . "Yeah, what Hertha said." Rowtag said angrily, a pout present on him. All Magmortar and Krookodile could do was watch their trainers childish acts in front of them. Once more an awkward silence fell into the room, no one really knowing how to talk after the scuffle.

Though thankfully the silence was broken as two members of the Gym Leaders arrived earlier than usual. The first to step into the grand hall was a young girl, most likely in her mid-teens. Tanned skin and dark black hair adorned her body, her hair however had varying shades of blues at the tips of her hair. It was a unique look to say the least. "Alva Mollown, Leader of Elriic City. Seems I made it early. I'm surprised to find myself sitting with the 'stronger' members of our little council here." Alva said with a cheeky grin. Alva had a bright and electrifying personality to say. Her appearance and personality made her the life blood of Elriic City, one of the fastest growing cities in all of Kurai. Many predicted by the end of the decade it'd be larger than Hiros. Alva was the residential Electric type Gym Leader of her region. Her Pokemon, her city, and her personality seemed to be a match made in heaven with how well they went together. She earned her nickname the 'Sparky Upstart' from her ambition to make her city the greatest and the crown jewel of Kurai. Her Zebstrika always followed closely behind her, never leaving her sight for more than a few seconds. Her companion and closest friend was quiet like her.

"Toski Bowen, Leader of Buive City." The young Gym Leader said. Toski was a couple years older than Alva, though that didn't ruin their close friendship. It was honestly the best of any of the Gym Leaders and Elite Four. Those two were always side by side. Toski's chestnut hair fit her strange shade of green get up she was wearing. Toski had a strange affection for Bug type Pokemon since she was a young girl. She always had a connection with her bug Pokemon, but her strongest was with her Heracross. Her first Pokemon. She was very caring towards all Bug types, affectionately nicknamed the 'Hive Mother'. "Hopefully we weren't disturbing anything. We heard a strange commotion coming from the grand hall while we were walking." Toski said taking a seat on her usual spot. She watched as Alva took her seat across from her.

"Knowing the track record of our members and who's currently here. I'm guessing it was Hertha and Rowtag having another lover's spat." Alva said with a wide grin. Rowtag and Bertha had a very visible twitch at the word 'lover's'. Alva and Toski couldn't help but laugh at their reaction. Keri was having a hard time keeping her laugh contained. If only they could see the look of sheer hatred and disdain Hertha and Rowtag at the laughing girls.

"I find it amusing that the ninth and tenth ranked Gym Leaders are insulting us when we're right here." Rowtag replied angrily, trying hard to ignore them. He couldn't help but notice Hertha trying her best to block out the entire situation. Before any further spats could continue, a voice rang out from the doorway.

"Children, always arguing like usual. I thought better of you. Oh well, must be some different set of values I was raised on." An aged voice said. The man was definitely the oldest of the entire council. Pushing on into his mid sixties. "Covey Timberlake, Leader of Maorar Town." Covey told Dunmire. Covey was the oldest member of the council and the longest reigning member to hold his position. His Bouffalant stubbornly made his way into the grand hall as well. "Always a problem with you old friend, so stubborn." Covey said to it as he patted the top of its head. Bouffulant's face could be described in one word, disinterested.

"Quite bold words to come from our Normal type leader. Telling us how to act. I bet you argued just as much as they do when you were their age" Said George with a twinge of humor.

"George, I never said I didn't argue. I just think that as the oldest member of the council I should lead by example." Covey replied with a sincere smile on his face.

"You couldn't possibly lead by example. You're the eighth member of the Gym Leaders." Carr told from his seat at the table. Covey couldn't help but smirk at Carr as he took his seat.

"I will admit I'm not the strongest member of our council, but I come packed with knowledge and wisdom. Why, I remember Carr. You were quite the stubborn boy when you first challenged me. It took you many tries to beat me." The oldest member said to the dark skinned man, a grin on his face. Carr couldn't help but mumble under his breath at what Covey said. Covey may have not been the mightiest member of the council, but he was no pushover. His team was balanced, ready for any situation or battle. Earning the nickname of the 'Balanced Sage'. "Hmm, I wonder when our trio will arrive. I walked by them on my way here." Covey questioned.

"Well knowing those three they're probably busy ogling at some girl, trying to impress them with their Gym Leader status." Faylinn said with a passive expression. Keri's laugh returned again, it was amazing that she wasn't out of breath at how much she had laughed today. Before the chit chat could continue. The said trio emerged from the grand hall door.

"Oi Faylinn, you hurt me with your comments. I'm quite the looker I'll have you know." Said the black haired man member of the trio.

"Oh please, Bricriu you couldn't get a girl if she came with an step by step guide on how to get attain her heart." Said the taller and bulkier man of the trio told to his shorter companion.

"As someone who is impartial to this I would ask you to please shut up. No one cares about your petty squabbles." The blonde member said to his companions. "Now please, let's just check in before you embarrass yourselves in front of the council." He told the duo. "Flint Patterson, Leader of Temle City. Come along now Aggron, let's take our spot." Without a word his Pokemon and him took his spot at the stone table. Flint was Kurai's Steel type leader. He was one of the more honest and straightforward members of the council, though he could be a bit too brutally honest with some. He had however a heart of gold around his steel looking complexion. He was always doing anything he could for the good of the less fortunate, giving most of his fight winnings to the homeless and poverty stricken of Temle. His nickname of the 'Steel Saint' was appropriate. He couldn't care if he was the eleventh member of the Gym Leaders. Being weaker was of no real concern to him.

"Petey Sims, Leader of Tainroc Town." Said the tall, muscular, and black haired individual of the trio. Petey was the twelfth member of the Gym Leaders. He was given his position by his father after his retirement, however Petey's lack of focus and improvement in the early portions of his leader status proved problems for him. Putting him on the lower rung of the ladder where he is today. Though it could be partially blamed on his environment he grew up in. Surrounded by slow moving and inactive moving Rock Pokemon. His oldest and strongest Pokemon, Gigalith, may be slow moving, but it still packed a punch. Though, it couldn't really do much if it couldn't move fast enough to hit its opponent. When Petey is absent from his gym or when a lack of trainers were travelling into his mountain home, he was busy trying to 'tame' it. Always striving to reach the summit of Kurai's highest mountains. The name 'Mountain Tamer' was fairly appropriate.

"Bricriu Keighley, Leader of Ispoi Town." Said the shortest member of the trio. Briciru had the unfortunate luck of being the thirteenth member of Kurai's Gym Leaders. In short he was the weakest member. Though his attitude never let it get to him too much. He was much more occupied in trying to advance through the ranks of the Gym Leaders, he was in fact the youngest member. He hadn't even served a full year yet. He did flaunt his status as Gym Leader often to attract the attention of any girl who caught his fancy. It would work on most occasions. Had you not been a Poison type Gym Leader. Poison type trainers had quite a nasty reputation in Kurai. Bricriu was hoping to change that, and with Poison type trainers on the decline he wanted to promote their effectiveness and invite others to use more Poison types. The 'Poison Protector' seemed to fit quite well for him. He looked at his companions and at the table who were giving him a questioning look. "Yeah, yeah, I don't want to hear it from you lot. You already probably know what happened." He said disheartened.

"Oh come on Bricriu, I'm sure you'll find that special girl someday." Toski cheerily told him, in an attempt to cheer him up. Bricriu couldn't help but feel a bit better, but not much. Bricriu's strongest Pokemon, Toxicroak, couldn't help but put a hand on his trainers shoulder to try and comfort him at his failed attempts at a girl.

"Thanks Toski. By the way Petey you still planning that trip to the summit?" The poison expert asked his rock leader companion from his spot across the table.

"Nah, not yet. I'm actually getting a good influx of trainers into my town finally. And yes, before any smart ass comments start coming my way. Yes I did lose to some." Petey told the rest of the table.

"Well at least you're admitting your loses this time. Instead of making tired and lame excuses like you usually do." The Steel Saint said to Petey. Rowtag didn't take quite well to Flint's comments. In all honesty Rowtag never had.

"You know you're a real smart ass Flint. How about I teach you some respect, Mr. High and Noble." Rowtag said snidely, trying to egg on his fellow council member into a fight he could never win. Flint was smarter than Rowtag gave him credit for.

"You know that's a waste of time for both of us. You'd clearly beat me. As your higher rank allows for more Pokemon to be used in battle, and that you hold a clear type advantage. That fight would serve of no value to either of us. If anything it could make you weaker." Flint added a little more venom into his last comment. It was too easy to rile up his flame haired colleague.

"You're a real cocky piece of sh-" Before Rowtag could even finish a voice came from the entrance of the grand hall.

"Language now Mr. Underwood. I'm sure your swearing is very unbecoming of a council member. Also you could wake up Ms. Grieves with your shouting." A condescending voice rang out. Rowtag looked to where the source of the voice came out and saw his personal least favorite members of the council. "Edlin Cadwallader, Leader of Pitop City." The man said to Dunmire. Edlin Cadwallader, a man with long brown hair tied into a ponytail and enough confidence when he walked it could make some people sick. It didn't help that his Milotic acted the same way as he did. 'Like trainer, like Pokemon' some say. Edlin Cadwallader acted like high royalty, because he was royalty. A descendent of nobles from long ago who ruled Pitop City. His city, water Pokemon, and people held a certain arrogance that Edlin did as well. He believed he was the greatest trainer in Kurai, even though he was the sixth member of the Gym Leaders. The nickname 'Noble Waterfall' was one of the nicer nicknames. "It seems Mr. Underwood keeps his barbaric language up to date." He said snidely to the orange haired leader. It didn't help either Gym Leaders that they were placed across from one another. Before either could get into their arguing, a voice of reason stepped in.

"Shut up Cadwallader, and Rowtag don't respond to him he thrives on your anger and reactions." Said a man with strange messy green hair. "Sedgewick Bullock, Leader of Carale Town." As the green haired man walked into the room he was followed closely by his Roserade. Sedgewick's face was passive and uncaring as Edlin glared at him. "Don't talk Cadwallader, you make others angry when you do." He told the arrogant water noble as he sat down next to Rowtag. Sedgewick may have been the seventh member of the Gym Leaders, a rank lower than Edlin. But, he didn't mind putting him in his place every once and awhile. Sedgewick was the opposite to Edlin. Whilst Edlin was a descendent of nobles, Sedgewick was of knights. Edlin flaunted his status, Sedgewick chose to keep that to himself. His Grass type Pokemon quickly adapted his policy of 'speak little, make noble actions' and took it to heart, just as Sedgewick did a long time ago. In the midst of all of this Gardi finally awoke from her nap, looking around the table she was surprised to see everyone arrive so early… or maybe she slept longer than she had thought.

"Meeting over already?" The envoy asked no one in particular as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Nah Gardi, it hasn't even begun. Though I'll fill you in on some of the more interesting bits." Keri said to her lower ranked friend. She noticed that Hertha and Rowtag had turned their heads at Keri's voice, they knew what the 'interesting bits' were.

Idle chit chat began to fill the grand hall again. Friends catching up, jokes and jabs thrown at one another, or strategy talked about. Nelda always found herself shocked at how just a few moments ago they were at each other's necks, and now they talked as if they were the closest of friends. For as long as she's been champion this was probably the most interesting group of Gym Leaders and Elites. Several minutes passed by, they were waiting on the final Gym Leader to show up.

"Listen Sis, I think we should start the meeting already. If he shows up late than that's his problem." Nelda's younger brother said. She couldn't help agree with the late Gym Leader not showing up on time being his problem. But, there was something important on the itinerary that would be of interest to him. Plus they all needed his opinion on it, whether the council liked it or not.

"Yes, I agree with your brother. We've waited long enough for our fellow ' _colleague'_ to show up." Carr said in concurrence to George's proposition.

"Listen as much as I'd like to get this done and over with, there's something on here that concerns him and we cannot start the meeting without him. That's the rules." Stated the Ice Queen. However, not many of her fellow council members agreed.

"I say we put it to a vote." Edric suggested. Many seemed on board with his idea. "All in favor, hands in the air." All of the members' hands went up. Sans Nelda and Covey. It didn't shock many that Covey didn't agree with them, he was much more of a traditionalist. "I see we've reached a verdict. Majority rules. So Ms. Griffin if you would please start." Edric asked politely. Before Nelda even had a chance to go over the first concerning matter of business a voice sent a chill down some members' spines. Edric, Faylinn, and Gardi were especially disturbed by the man's voice in general.

"Oh come on now guys. You break my heart… I'm not so terrible that'd you vote to start without me? Am I?" Asked a voice from the grand hall's entrance. There he stood the final member of the Council, a scary feral grin on his face.

* * *

 **AN: Wow, holy shit. I actually wrote a second chapter. Yeah, I'm sure many of the Gym Leaders that were introduced got glanced over in some parts. But hey, things will work out probably. If you want me to go into more detail about certain Gym Leaders, you could ask me. I could do sort of an encyclopedia or character profile style of coverage for the character.**

 **Who could this mysterious last Gym Leader be? Yeah by deduction you already know who he is probably. I ain't gonna pester you that way.**

 **Also don't forget to Review this story and tear me apart in my grammar and inconsistencies. I'll try to improve.**

 **Thanks for reading chapter 2. Didn't know people actually wanted to read this.**

 **Also I have a villain per say in the works. But, the villain won't come in for a while.**

 **AN 2: Again some more edits made to this chapter to make it flow, and not sound so awkward as you read it. Hopefully it's a bit of an improvement.**


	3. Chapter III: Guardian of the Dark

**Chapter III: Guardian of the Dark**

 _"Oh come on now guys. You break my heart… I'm not that terrible that'd you vote to start without me? Am I?" Asked a voice from the grand hall's entrance. There he stood the final member of the Council, a scary feral grin on his face._

* * *

The final arrival to the grand hall stood in the doorway, hand currently holding the door open to prevent it from closing on him. He had a strange a feral looking grin on him. His canines, were abnormally sharp. He looked like a true predator when he smiled. The sides of his head was cut close to his scalp, with strange letterings and symbols shaven into the sides of his head. The top and back parts of his hair was spiked, it was natural looking. His skin was pale, genetics handed down my parents due to where he lived. His voice resonated around the halls sending shiver down Faylinn, Edric, and Gardi's spines. He was a twenty two year old, his height of six-two fit him well. He was skinny, but nowhere near lanky. His short sleeve shirt he had on was missing it's right sleeve, seemingly all of his shirt's right sleeves were either shortened or missing. His jeans seemed tattered and faded, the affects of not being taken care of very well. He looked menacing. He took his first step into the grand hall and made his way to Dunmire. Dunmire normally passive face contorted to caution.

"Seth Abramson, Leader of Arda Town." He said to Dunmire simply. His smile had faded into a scowl, when looking at Dunmire. As he made his way towards his spot on the stone table, he looked to see his colleague's Pokemon. He quickly pulled a Pokeball out and simply dropped it to the ground. In a flash of red, a creature appeared. It's fur was pure white, whiter than the freshest snows atop the Kurai Mountains. It's dark blue face and tail contrasted sharply but made it look menacing. It's scythe like horn could terrify people by simply looking at it wrong. The Pokemon opened it's eyes, bright ruby red eyes were found. This Pokemon was a something to be feared, something that inspired fear.

"Absol…" It said simply. Looking back up at it's trainer. He simply flashed his predatory grin, before bringing his hand down to rub and pet the top of it's head. In turn it leaned into Seth's hand, enjoying the contact.

"Good. Come along now Angel, we have some _friends_ to talk to." Seth said to his Pokemon. As far as Seth knew, he was the only one to name his Pokemon individually among all of the council. He walked to his seat passing by Petey, Toski, Covey, and Edlin. Before taking his seat between Hertha and George. He looked across the table and glared at Edric. Seth's spot at the table signified his rank among the Gym Leaders and council. While Edric was the strongest Gym Leader, Seth was the second strongest in Kurai. Edric simply returned a glare back to Seth, who in turn couldn't help but grin at Edric's attempt at intimidation. He looked to Edric's right and left. He couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable Faylinn and Gardi looked. Even their Pokemon were on edge around.

"Faylinn you look tense why don't you calm yourself down? Don't want you to have a panic attack now do we?" Seth said as he stared at the Sprite. He could see her squirm and it amused him.

"Mr. Abramson," Seth turned his attention to look back at Edric, who was still glaring at him. "I suggest you quit staring at Ms. Disney. It's very rude to do so." Edric told Seth in an attempt to get him to stop his staring at Faylinn. Seth again couldn't help but smile again at Edric.

"Edric, my friend. I told you to call me Seth, my father was Mr. Abramson." Seth jokingly said to the Psychic Gentleman. His small joke seemed to ease the tension in the hall a small bit. Gardi seemed to have calmed down and her Dusknoir had stopped its protective stance. Faylinn also seemed to stop fidgeting.

"Seth, I can't help but ask you something." An elder voice called from down the table. Seth leaned forward and saw the voice came from Covey Timberlake, the Normal type Gym Leader.

"I'll try to answer it the best I can Covey." Seth told him. Covey was one of the few people Seth held in high regards. Never calling him by his nickname. Always by his first name, and even rarely by his last.

"It appears you only brought your Absol, what of you other Pokemon?" The Balanced Sage asked his spiky blonde haired colleague.

"Called in a sick day, besides someone has to watch the gym and town while I'm away. Arceus knows what sort of trouble could happen while I'm away." The spiky haired leader told his elderly council member.

"So what? You basically have your Pokemon running your town while you're away? That's irresponsible." A young voice called out from beyond Covey. Seth couldn't help but smirk at the voice he heard. It was Alva. They always had a rivalry of sorts. As Alva's city of Elriic was south of Arda Town. So conflicts were bound to occur between the two.

"At least it's a responsible Pokémon, well trained for human interaction and not a fifteen year old girl. Ain't that right Sparkplug?" Seth said to his blue highlighted rival. She couldn't help but frown at that, he pulled the age card on her. Silence fell over the table for a pregnant pause.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt Ice Queen. Please continue on the itinerary for today. I'm sure my _friends_ here want to head home as soon as they can." Seth told his superior, Nelda. Nelda couldn't help but keep a passive face. She was always wary of Seth for some reason, but he had never lashed out or caused any violent actions against any of his council members. So why was she, and her fellow council members so wary of him? He quickly shot up through the ranks of the Gym Leaders at an alarming speed. Quite impressive for someone coming up on their fourth year as a council member to be ranked second amongst all the Gym Leaders.

"Yes well, thank you Seth. Now first on the list the recent influx of…" Seth had blocked her voice out completely. He was waiting for what his expertise was needed for. His hand naturally found its way to the top of his Absol's head. He found himself automatically rubbing and petting it. The Absol couldn't help but lean herself into his hand. A grin appeared on Seth's face. To some at the table he looked like a deranged madman. At first glance most would, some still believe he is. Others were very unsure of who he is. Seth knew who he was. He was the second member of Kurai's Gym Leaders. He was their expert on everything related to Dark type Pokemon.

* * *

The meeting seemed to drag on and on. Seth was simply patiently waiting on the subject he was needed for to be talked about so he could get it over with and leave. He soon came to realize that his esteemed Ice Queen had put it last on the list. Just in case he did show up late. He had to admit Nelda was smart.

"The final item on our list is… a concerning one." Said Kurai's champion. All of those who had zoned out from the meeting were instantly brought back in. "According to reports from Alva and members of Elriic City. There have been ten cases of Pokemon attacking construction workers building northward to help expand the growing city. Now Alva, is this true?" Nelda asked the Sparky Upstart. Pokemon attacks on humans were very rare. For ten to occur in the past month was shocking to many.

"It's true. The construction workers have all suffered some pretty nasty injuries. Nothing life threatening though." Alva said to her champion. Most of the table were looking at her speak. However, those trained eyes were focused on Seth. Nelda, Faylinn, Edric, and Gardi were watching his reaction. His hand had stopped rubbing his Absol's head. Even the Absol was sitting on all fours intensely. Before Alva could continue she was interrupted by someone. None other than the menacing blonde haired man sat across from Edric.

"What type were they?" Seth asked simply looking at Alva. His glare was intimidating. Alva had a hard time finding her voice to speak.

"T-They were all reported to be Dark type Pokemon, Seth." Alva said with a stutter in her voice. The table was on edge. Alva's Zebstrika was moving closer to her.

"Ice Queen," Seth turned his attention to the blonde female champion. "Is it true? Does your little sheet there say they were Dark types." Seth asked plainly.

"They were Seth. All reports say they were Dark types. All the reports say that the Dark types attacked after construction workers began cutting down the forests north of Elriic and th-" Nelda was interrupted by a rather harsh tone.

"Idiot, of course they'd attack the workers. It doesn't take a damned expert to know that Pokemon attack people who threaten their home." Seth said harshly towards Kurai's ice champion. It surprised many that he would talk to her in such a tone. He sharply turned his head back to Alva and leaned in on the table. "You Sparkplug, tell your people to stop breeding like horny Lopunnys in the middle of spring and you won't have nearly as many attacks on your people." Seth said in a still harsh tone towards his younger colleague. Members of the table were still shocked at how harsh he sounded. They knew he was their Dark type expert and that'd he defend them, but it seemed a little much.

"Seth you do remember that Pokemon will simply attack the trainer or person who threatens their home to chase them off. Not leave large bite marks or tear large chunks of flesh off them just because they cut down a simple tree." Now this was surprising to Seth. He turned his head to see Gardi of all people talk back to him. He smirked a bit. She may have had that small tidbit of information, but he'd one up her.

"Sorry Gardi, what was that? Having a hard time hearing you. All the voices in your head must be leaking into my own." Seth said jokingly to her, she reeled back. Good. "Quite frankly my Spooked _friend_ you don't know shit about Dark types. You think they're some kind of terrifying nightmarish creature that hunts down poor innocent trainers in the night and kills them. They're not. They're just like any other Pokemon. While Ghost types are more playful and Fire types are more hot headed and short tempered." Seth added that little jab in at Rowtag to rile him up, he didn't honestly care to look, before continuing. "Dark types are very defensive of their homes, because if you haven't noticed their only home is in the forests surrounding Arda and in the shadow of the Kurai Mountain Range. That ain't a lot of land. So when Sparkplug and her deforesters come up north, expect them to fight back. It ain't damned rocket science to see that." With the end of Seth's little rant the table fell silent again. No one wanting to talk. Until the green haired Sedgewick spoke.

"What of the Dark types that did attack? What happened to them?" Sedgewick asked impassively. Seth was intrigued as well.

"Well there were eight different Pokemon who attacked. Four of them escaped back into the forests, two of them were captured, and the other two were…" Alva suddenly began to trail off. She found herself having a hard time look away from the table.

"What happened Alva?" Nelda asked the younger trainer.

"The other two weren't so fortunate. They were too wild when we brought them out. We couldn't help them or contain them. So we had to… put them down." Alva said sadly, her face found the stone table quite interesting very fast.

"Such a sad thing to hear. A Pokemon being put down because it couldn't be tamed. Such a poor way to end." Said the high and mighty voice of Edlin Cadwallader. Seth wanted to do some pretty horrible things to Edlin after the comments he said. Hell he wanted to rip apart the people who put down the Dark type Pokemon. He didn't believe they couldn't be tamed, he knew they could, it was all so avoidable.

"Such the hell up Cadwallader. You don't know a damned thing, so go back to sipping your tea on your soft throne in Pitop and shut the hell up." Seth's voice was venomous filled with hate and contempt for Edlin. "You Sparkplug, why the hell didn't you call me up? I could've helped them. So tell me why didn't you call me?" Seth asked Alva, he was expecting her to pick her words wisely.

"Seth you'd never seen this before. They were wild and they couldn't be tamed, they would've hurt more people or you if we hadn't-" She was quickly interrupted by Seth's loud voice and him standing up.

"OH TAUROS SHIT! THAT'S TAUROS SHIT AND YOU KNOW IT! You just didn't care did you huh!?" Seth's voice was wild and crazy, he had a look in his eyes.

"Why the hell would you care about the death of two Dark type Pokemon. I understand they are your type and you hold a close affection for them, but why care for the death of two wild ones. Especially after they proved to be too dangerous." Carr had finally spoken up. Seth quickly turned his head to face him.

"Because you Scar Faced Bastard, unlike you I actually give a damn about the type I train. All of them. So if I can save their lives then I would. Cause I give a shit, unlike you. You care only for your Pokemon, but no other Fighting type Pokemon. I try and promote and protect them. As I said before they're ain't much room left in Kurai for them to live in. And Sparkplug and her dumbass people aren't helping. Me and little Bricriu over there are the only people on this council promoting and protecting our types. Because you've all be ingrained to believe that Poison types are disgusting freaks of nature, and Dark types are some sort of horrible monsters, and they aren't!" Seth had finally finished his rant towards his fellow council members. Bricriu didn't know whether to feel honored or insulted by being grouped in with Seth. The table had an awkward silence for what seemed to be an eternity.

"I see that we're all on edge here. Why don't we take a break okay? That should help." Faylinn said cautiously. Always trying to be the diplomat. Seth couldn't help but continue to maintain his frustrated face.

"Sorry Faylinn, that ain't gonna help anybody. Including me." Seth began to make his way away from the table his Absol following closely behind him. Not before stopping by the front of the table and looking at Alva. Her face was still looking at the table. "Sparkplug those two Dark type Pokemon you have captured. I want them at my gym in two days or else I'll personally find them myself." Seth said to her, she didn't even make a movement to signify that she heard him. "Also Sparkplug, if your people don't leave that southern section of the forests alone and back off that border between our divisions, you'll have more than just wild Dark type Pokemon to deal with." The blonde haired Gym Leader said to the black haired one. Again she didn't respond. As he began to make his way he was quickly called out by Edlin, the last voice he wanted to hear.

"Again Mr. Abramson, why do you care for a wild Dark types who've been proven dangerous?" Edlin asked smugly. He thought he had stumped Seth, but Seth would have none of it.

"I'll say it once more 'Aqua Drama', Dark types get a bad wrap and so do their trainers. Dark types live in a very concentrated and small portion of our region. The region where my home is. Where their home is. The only safe place for them to live. The Sanctuary if you will. I… I Am that Sanctuary's Guardian. You all better damn well believe I'll be fighting to protect every tree, cave, hole in the ground, river, lake, and blade of grass that any Dark type calls home." With that Seth simply turned his back on his colleagues leaving them with a mixed reaction. Walking through the doorway, with Angel closely behind him. He slammed the door for extra emphasis and a resounding echo could be heard throughout the building. With that, the 'Guardian of the Dark' began his trek home. He knew something was wrong and he was going to get to the bottom of the problem…

* * *

 **A/N: Yay! Another chapter? I'm surprising myself as well you guys. As of writing this chapter this story has 50 views. I'd say that's pretty okay for my first story.**

 **Introducing our main character for the story, Seth, and his trusted Absol, Angel. Don't worry Angel will get more time later on. We'll also meet Seth's other Pokemon that he brings to the council meetings, which he left behind to watch over Arda Town.**

 **Thanks again for reading my story guys, I hope you're enjoying it. Review it, Favorite it, Follow it, or make fun of me. I dunno know. Again, thanks for reading to chapter 3.**

 **AN2: Again an updated version of the chapter, just making a few grammatical and a few improvements to sentences.**


	4. Chapter IV: A Santuary, and Caution

****Chapter 4: A Sanctuary, and Caution****

" _I'll say it once more 'Aqua Drama', Dark types get a bad wrap and so do their trainers. Dark types live a very concentrated and small portion of our region. The region where my home is. Where their home is. The only safe place for them to live. The Sanctuary if you will. I… I Am that Sanctuary's Guardian. You all better damn well believe I'll be fighting to protect every tree, cave, hole in the ground, river, lake, and blade of grass that any Dark type calls home." With that Seth simply turned his back on his colleagues leaving them with a mixed reaction. Walking through the doorway, with Angel closely behind him. He slammed the door for extra emphasis and a resounding echo could be heard throughout the building. With that, the 'Guardian of the Dark' began his trek home. He knew something was wrong and he was going to get to the bottom of the problem…_

* * *

The council table was very quiet after Seth had stormed out, no one daring to talk. Gym Leaders and Elite Fours glancing at one another, asking for permission to speak. Alva's face was still turned down, not daring to look up. She felt like she was the cause of Seth's rant and his subsequent storming out of the grand hall. She felt a hand grip her shoulder, an act of of sympathy and comfort. She glanced over to see Flint, the Steel Saint, trying to comfort her. He didn't glance over at her, choosing to keep his head upwards facing the high ceiling. All was quiet until the sound of a chair moving caught their attention. Rowtag had gotten out of his seat and began walking away from the table, his Magmortar following close behind.

"Rowtag where are you going?" Nelda spoke towards the flame headed Gym Leader. Someone finally decided to speak up.

"Isn't it obvious Nelda? The meetings done, we covered all of our bases today. Decisions were made and passed. I might as well head back home." Rowtag told Kurai's Champion. He have a simple nod to her and left the grand hall. Nelda was simply left to rub her temple to try and rub the headache out of her head.

"Fine. I guess we have everything covered. You are all dismissed." The Ice Queen of Kurai said to her fellow council members. Many were hesitant to leave at first, however everyone eventually began to leave. "Alva, Gardi, Edric, and Elite Four stay behind here for a few minutes, it's something important." Nelda told them. Alva was nearly halfway to the door, but turned around. Not before hugging Toski goodbye for now. Gardi and Edric had never left their seat, they knew they'd somehow be needed. Alva would only stand at the end of the table, not really feeling to sit down. As everyone filled out and the current group of Elites and Leaders were alone, Alva finally spoke.

"You said you needed me for something?" Alva asked nervously, she was expecting the worst from them. Seth's yelling still had an affect on her.

"It's okay now Alva, you did nothing wrong. Seth is just very… passionate about his type. Now how about you send those two dark types those workers caught and send them to Seth. I also want you to slow down and back off on construction northwards. No need for Seth to get any angrier than he is." Nelda said to Alva in a motherly tone. Alva was feeling a bit better. "Keri," The Sky Princess turned her head towards the champion, tilting her head a bit. "why don't you take Alva on a walk and head on home." Nelda told her second Elite Four. Keri simply noded, a bright smile on her face. She and Braviary made their way over to Alva and her Zebstrika and lead them out of the grand hall, they could've sworn they heard Keri giggle. That girl was too cheerful sometimes. Nelda, George, Carr, Faylinn, Edric, and Gardi were left in the grand hall alone, they waited a few more minutes to ensure no one else was left to eavesdrop or rush back into the hall because they simply forgot something.

"Now then. Edric, Faylinn, Gardi… did you sense anything from Seth during the meeting?" Nelda asked calmly. It was a strange question to ask them.

"I always feel off put by him Nelda, it's like everytime he looks in my general direction or talks to me, I feel my skin crawl. I don't know what it is. I can't sense his feelings or emotions. I don't… feel anything from him." Faylinn worriedly told her champion.

"Alright then. Edric, did you see anything in him at all?" Nelda asked the Psychic Gentleman seated next to Faylinn.

"I tried looking into his mind Ms. Griffin, nothing. All I could see was a black wall blocking me from entering his mind. I might add he also disturbs me Ms. Griffin something is wrong with him." Edric said simply, though he was left still wondering why he couldn't read Seth. He was right across from him. He wasn't moving, he simply sat there.

"That's not good. Gardi, have you found anything on what I tasked you to research?" Nelda inquired to her Spiritual Envoy.

"I have. There have been records and studies showing change in a trainer who his exposed to dark type Pokemon for long periods of time. Changes included: shortening of temper, violent outbursts, a strange presence floating around him, and being extremely defensive of said dark type Pokemon. Seth shows the signs of of this, he's been practically surrounded by dark type Pokemon nearly his entire life. So it goes without saying that he should show the symptoms of the exposure to dark types. However, that still doesn't add up to a lot of things. He's always been passionate about dark types, he's always defended them. Plus he's always had this strange presence around him ever since the council let him attend his first meeting. Though back then it wasn't as noticeable, now it's glaring. Still for how long he's lived in Arda and been exposed to the dark types, he should've gone mentally insane and psychotic. As over exposure for too long could cause that. Again, it's all so strange." Gardi explained to the Ice Queen of Kurai. Nelda could only try and contemplate this. Seth had talked about him being basically having dark types since he was young, he should've gone insane long ago do to his over exposure to them. It wasn't making any sense. Maybe, Seth was right maybe it was ingrained in their heads that dark types were naturally 'evil'. No that couldn't be right. Nelda let out a frustrated groan. Carr finally spoke to the remaining council members.

"He's already shown the first two of those symptoms. He doesn't help himself knowing he already acts like a psycho. I suggest we watch him. Have someone visit him or watch over him. Make sure he is mentally sane. On top of that, from the one time I've visited his gym, he always refuses to put his Pokemon into their Pokeballs. Again, watch him closer. Never can be too sure around those dark type trainers." Carr said gruffly to Nelda. Nelda continued to simply process everything. Seth did show signs of growing over exposed, it was becoming more and more prevalent.

"I think that'd be the best for right now. We need to watch over not only our own safety, but Arda and Seth's own health." Nelda said to the remaining council members. "Also, not a single word of what we've talked about gets out. Got it?" The champion of Kurai ordered her council. They all simply nodded in response. "Good. Meeting dismissed, I'm tired and need some sleep, and you can bet this meeting didn't help." Nelda said tiredly as she yawned and began her walk towards her room. The rest of the table quickly dismissed themselves. Faylinn, Edric, and Gardi would continue to observe and research Seth's actions. They needed to. For their own safety, for the citizen of Kurai's safety, and even Seth's safety.

* * *

Seth had been walking for quite a bit, but he could feel he was almost home. He saw the trees on the horizon. These trees were no ordinary trees, they were massive and towering beasts to behold. He couldn't help but smirk at the sight of them. He could've asked his Honchkrow to set him down closer to the entrance, but Seth found no fun in that. Plus he enjoyed the walk into the forest. It was more satisfying that way. He looked down at his side to see his white furred companion keeping up with him, his Absol. She was a loyal Pokemon, and Seth was thankful for that, and in return he was loyal to her. He did find himself being a bit overbearing with her, but he didn't care, she was his Pokemon he'd also try to take care of her the best way he could.

"Hey Angel, you wanna take a break, or rest in your Pokeball?" The Gym Leader asked, breaking the silence between the two. She looked up to him, simply saying her name and shaking her head. He couldn't help but smirk at her. After a bit more walking they were standing at the entrance of the forest. The trees always amazed Seth, even though he grew up in these forests his entire life.

The trees were tall, reaching into the sky. Some even putting some of Kurai's tallest skyscrapers to shame. As Seth and Angel entered the forests, he felt so much more at home. The trees dimmed the bright sun, it was much darker in the forest. The forest felt like you were wearing sunglasses all the time, cutting out half of all light reaching the forest. Seth continued to walk along the path, seeing the occasional Arceus Ray. It was amazing on its own that light could even find a way to pierce through the thick canopy that was over his head. The great thing was they were never in the same place. A new Arceus Ray every step you took. As well as it was brighter in some places and was darker in others, during sunset the town was always darker than it actually was at night. That was caused by Arda and Arda Forest being in the shadow of Kurai's mountain range. It was incredible to see. Seth continued his trek to Arda Town, but not before petting Angel who leaned into his hand.

As Seth drew closer and closer to Arda he saw more and more houses pop up. They were always built out of stone. It was a taboo to cut down the trees in Arda, they were sacred and were something the people of Arda held close. Now most would wonder what were so different about these trees. They only grew in Arda in this small corner of Kurai. So all wooden items were imported, though most who imported would carry it back home. Seeing as how the forest scared people away. Due to it being filled with "the terrifying monsters known as dark types." Seth couldn't help but clench his fist at the thought of that sentence. He instantly lightened up when he felt Angel rub against his leg. She watched over him just as much as he watched over her.

They saw the sign for Arda Town a dozen yards away. It was good to be back home. Though Angel took off in a sprint towards the entrance of the town. Seth knew her game and began to race after her. It was a close race, but it ended up with Angel jumping on Seth's back and both of them tumbling into town. They decided to call it a draw for now. Before either of them could get up, a girl was hovering over both of them. Her face held a slight pout, her long red hair held together by a black scrunchy, and an abnormal canine hanging out of her mouth. She looked irritated.

"Jeez, finally took you guys long enough to show up. I was running around all day taking care of your business." The long red haired girl said.

"Oh really? Thanks Talulla." Seth said with a grin. Yeah it was good to be home, he could act natural around the people of Arda. He picked Angel up and put her on the ground as well as picking himself off the ground, and brushing the dirt off of him.

"Welcome, besides that's what I always do when you're at those dumb council meetings." Talulla said to the town Gym Leader. Seth was taller than Talulla, she only came up to his chest, and on a few occasions he peaked and caught her trying to stand on her tippy-toes to try and match his height. It was funny.

"Well you know those idiots, can't do a damned thing without me. So any trainers travel through town lately?" The spiky blonde asked his red headed companion.

"Yeah, there was one. I battled for you, he was pretty miffed he lost to me. Got upset and left town cause the Gym Leader didn't actually face him. My guess is he's going to face your good buddy Edric next." Talulla told Seth informatively. Seth, Talulla, and Angel began walking back to Seth's home. It was late in the afternoon and Seth highly doubted any trainers were going to challenge him today. So they stopped by Gym to lock up. "So anything else interesting on your front?" Talulla asked her blonde haired friend.

"Not much. I mean besides Rowtag and Hertha yelling at each other, not much that I paid attention to." Seth told Talulla, though she knew he was hiding something. "Well, me and Alva did argue over Elriic City's rapid growth and expansion northward. Well, it wasn't actual arguing. More like, me yelling at the poor girl. Looking back now, I was a real dickhead to her. I'll apologize when she comes by later. Which reminds me, we're getting a couple more dark types added to the forests in a few days." Seth said to the shorter red head.

"Two more dark types eh? I guess they were caught in Elriic's deforestation efforts. You know Queenie ain't gonna be happy about this right?" Talulla told her taller companion. Seth could only smirk at the name Queenie. The trio eventually arrived at the gym and locked up. Then quickly turned around and made their way to Seth's home. Seth's home was located in the back of Arda Town. Plus it served as the no pass zone into the rest of Arda Forest. As anything north of his house was reserved for dark types to live only. A 'Sanctuary' he dubbed it.

"Yep, two more. Don't worry about Queenie she's just old and grumpy." Seth told the red head. As they entered his home it felt nice and cool. It felt good to be home. As Talulla began to walk towards the kitchen, she felt Seth grab her by the hair. Not forcibly, but he had a good grip on it. "Besides I'm sure her daughter, won't mind a few new guests now would she?" Seth asked the redhead in front of him. She couldn't help but look back. Seth ran a hand through her long red hair, a mane if you would. He watched as the girl in front of him began to ripple. Like a stone landing in still water. He saw as the red haired girl disappear, and something entirely new was there in her place.

A Pokemon. A dark type Pokemon. She still maintained the long red mane of hair, it was beautiful. A sharp shaped head replaced the human shaped head, though the stray canine was still there on the Pokemon's pouting face. It's body was shaped strangely; long black furred arms, holding black claws with red tints on the end, a strangely slim midsection, quickly jutting out into hips, and long legs. The Pokemon was covered from head from head to toe in black fur, she had what looked red eyeliner on her. It looked natural. Finally the long black bushy tail.

Seth couldn't help but smirk at her. She on the other hand was pouting. "You didn't think you could trick me Talulla, however that was a pretty good illusion. You've gotten way better." He approached the Pokemon and pulled it into a huge. She didn't feel like returning it. He couldn't help but smirk at her stubbornness. "However, try and hide those ears next time. Okay my little Zoroark." The Gym Leader said his Zoroark blowing into its ear for over exaggeration. She pushed off of him and stormed upstairs, he couldn't help but grin at the irritated face on her. Angel had watched the entire event transpire in front of her. She had an amused smile on her face. Seth knelt down to pet and rub his Absol. Who purred in return enjoying the petting and rubbing.

"Princesses, am I right Angel?" Seth said to his Absol. She quickly nodded her head up and down with that amused smile on her face. He couldn't help but laugh at her goofy face. Yeah it was good to be back home.

* * *

 ** **A/N: As of writing this, I' am at currently 72 views. That's pretty good I'd say. Especially for only 4 chapters in? And I'm a new author. I feel pretty good about it.****

 ** **So, what's up with this behind the scenes Council dealings? Trainers influenced by Pokemon types? Seth's much different personality in Arda compared to his personality in the meeting? So many things to be answered.****

 ** **Also you guys finally get to meet the Zoroark. Don't worry the whole Princess thing will come up later.****

 ** **Again thanks for reading my story. I actually can't believe I've gotten this far with a Randomized World. Pretty cool.****

 ** **Review, Rate, Follow, and Shill done. Also if you wanna make fun of my terrible grammar in the review go ahead or if you want to give advice, I'm all ears.****

 ** **Also any questions? I will answer, the best I can.****


	5. Chapter V: An Intensive Meetup, and

**Chapter 5: An Intensive Meetup, and A Queen of the Forest**

 _"Princesses, am I right Angel?" Seth said to his Absol. She quickly nodded her head up and down with that amused smile on her face. He couldn't help but laugh at her goofy face. Yeah it was good to be back home._

* * *

One of Seth's least favorite things about his mornings was being woken up by his alarm clock. That was the only real effective way to tell time in Arda Forest, due to the tall trees blocking out large portions of sunlight. He let out an irritated groan, finding an extra pillow to cover his head to block out the irritating buzzing coming from the small device on his nightstand. He tried his hardest to ignore the irritating buzzing and continue his sleep, though his efforts were all in vain. Before he could even attempt to shut it off, he heard the sounds of a smash next to him. He rolled himself over and through blurry eyes saw a black and red figure standing over the destroyed clock. It was Talulla, his Zoroark. She didn't enjoy the clock just as he did. Most of his Pokemon didn't like the clock. He made eye contact with her quickly, before she averted her eyes. He could see irritation on her face.

Letting out a loud yawn he finally spoke. "Morning Talulla, see you're up and ready to start the day." Seth said with a tired smile. She still didn't look at him. Now he was just a little concerned. "Hey come on now Talulla, what's the matter. You've been pouty since I came home. What's wrong?" Seth asked his Zoroark, whilst rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. She finally turned around to face him.

"You saw right through my illusion, and you knew it was me all along didn't you?" Talulla said to him. That's why she was upset, it made sense now. Seth let an amused smile grace his face. She didn't see what was so funny, she let a frown form on hers.

"Come on now, I should be able to see through your illusions. Plus me calling you Talulla wasn't a dead give away?" He asked her. He saw an irritated face form on her slender head. He raised himself from his bed, wearing nothing but his boxers and pulling his Zoroark into a hug. "Come on now, and illusion that good is still impressive. So you made one mistake, big deal. Just keep practicing at it. Someday I won't be able to see those ears." He pulled back to look at her face and tug at her ears. He saw a small smile form on her face. Good, no reason for her to be sad today. Talulla was an amazing illusionist, and he was proud at how real she could make it seem. Hell, being able to make a new body and disguise herself and only screw up on her ears was amazing. The scary thing was near perfection with her illusions only a few errors stopped her from being perfect. Though Seth was always proud of her. She was one of his oldest Pokemon. Speaking of oldest Pokemon, Seth was amazed his Absol, Angel, was able to sleep through the alarm. She was always a strange one.

Speaking of strange, Seth couldn't help but feel like he was forgetting something. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. Alva was coming today and she was dropping off the captured dark types. "Ah Shit! Talulla, wake Angel up! After that you two rally the other teammates and meet me outside the house! As soon as I run out we gotta meet someone outside of town!" Seth yelled to his Zoroark, he was sure he woke Angel up as well. Though he couldn't care right now. Alva was suppose to be arriving today, and more than likely that girl was going to attract trouble. He quickly began to scrounge and make sure he got done fast enough to meet up with Alva, before trouble followed her.

Talulla and Angel ran throughout the house quickly waking the rest of Seth's team. Talulla found herself waking Bran, Seth's Honchkrow, and Conan, Seth's Houndoom. Angel woke ran throughout the house waking Sayuri, Seth's Weavile, and Vuk, Seth's Mightyena. They all quickly woke from their sleep and found themselves waiting outside their master's house. Waiting for him to come out of the house to follow him. What they saw was a blonde and blue streak rush by them, that was Seth running as fast as he could towards the entrance of the forest. They were shocked at how fast he moved. They found themselves quickly trying to catch up with their trainer's speed.

" _Damn it, Alva. Can you not be so cheery and upbeat for today? So I can stop you from attracting trouble?"_ Seth thought to himself as he made ran outside of Arda Town, he didn't know if his Pokemon were following him. He had a feeling they were hot on his feet though.

* * *

Alva was intimidated to say the least. She was impressed by the sheer size of the trees. They were huge in scale, it left her in awe. After a few moments of staring up at the tops of the tree, she focused her attention to the entrance of the forest. She had a bad feeling about coming here. She heard stories of it and Seth being the leader of the people in the forest didn't help ease her mind. She was nervous, but delivering these Pokemon wasn't gonna get herself done. She was regretting even coming out here in the first place. She instead wish she had left Seth to come and get the Pokemon, not have her travel out here to walk through his dark home.

" _Come on Alva, you can do it. It's just a forest right? Nothing scary… nothing to it…"_ Alva's thoughts of encouragement helped ease her mind a bit. As she began walking into the forest. A few steps in and she was met with darkness, she thought she had gone blind for a second, but a few seconds later she found her eyes adjusting to the lack of light. She instantly felt fear creep up on her. She was scared, how could someone live in a place with such a lack of light? She began taking easy steps, one foot at a time. All she had to do was follow the path and it'd take her to Arda. Though she wasn't going to make and progress with her limited vision.

In a moment of genius she brought out her Zebstrika. The lightning zebra stretching its limbs. The initial shock of the lack of light scarred it as well. "Easy now Zeby, I know you're scared, but stay calm. How about you make some light with your horn. A little light to guide the way." Alva said with a smile hoping Zebstrika would do it. Zebstrika simply nodded its head and a small light formed at the tip of its horn. It did help her and her Pokemon see.

Alva and Zebstrika had been walking for quite sometime, and it felt like they were making little progress because of the lack of light. Alva quickly scanned the area around her to make sure she couldn't see any stray Pokemon in the area. "Hey Zeby, can you use Flash? It'd help us see way better. Plus I don't see any wild Pokemon out here. So we won't be disturbing them." The Sparky Upstart said to her faithful Pokemon. With a quick nod of its head, a bright light filled the area. Alva could see so much better, but now she was wishing she hadn't told Zebstrika to use Flash. She could see them all. All the dark types crawling throughout the forest. Walking through the grass, climbing through the trees, and flying through the canopy. The sudden Flash of light caused all of them to let out loud shrieks and yells. She was terrified, she was frozen with fear, and she was in the middle of the source of light

* * *

Seth heard a commotion just a bit up ahead of the path. He knew only trouble was ahead that way. It didn't help he could see a flash of light coming from down the path and loud shrieking and yelling could be heard. " _Damn it Alva, why'd you have to do that?"_ The spiky haired gym leader said as he ran as fast as he could.

* * *

Alva was frozen in fear. She couldn't move, they were all looking at her. Before she could scream, she felt herself being tackled to the ground and the light from Zebstrika vanish. She feared the worst and closed her eyes. She waited for a good few seconds, though nothing seemed to happen. She cautiously opened one of her eyes. She saw a figure over her body, his messy blonde hair making him look wild and untamed, his blue flannel unbuttoned exposing his pale chest and stomach, it was toned somewhat, and a hand covering her mouth. She wanted to scream, before she could he spoke.

"Sparkplug shut up and stay quiet please." He said to her roughly. She recognized it. It was Seth, she couldn't help but feel so many mixed emotions. She was scared, happy, disgusted, and relieved all at once. "Listen you doing your dumb Flash move with your four legged lighting rod over there, was like setting off a flash bang for them okay. So just stay there and don't make a noise." He spoke to her, all she could do was nod and wait. She shifted her eyes to see four strange Pokemon holding down her Zebstrika, it looked terrified. Though she saw one of the Pokemon covering its horn, blocking the light from it from affecting any other the Pokemon lurking in the shadows. She waited, it was quiet, but a small snicker from Seth drew her attention. "You know in some other places in Kurai, people would be calling the police on me. A twenty two year old man holding down a fifteen year old girl and covering her mouth so she won't scream, isn't the best position to be caught in." He said with an amused tone, she could see a toothy grin form on his face. He brought his face closer to hers, she got a good look at his abnormal canines. "But luckily, we have the darkness to hide us." Her eyes widened at his statement. He couldn't help but laugh a bit more. Before pulling away from her face and sending her a devilish smirk and wink. She quickly found her face warm up, more than likely it was the biggest blush of her life. Her naturally tan skin didn't cover up her blush at all and her blue highlights in her hair contrasted to how red it was. However, all she could do was lay and wait for Seth to give the all clear.

It seemed like hours passed as they waited, the suspense was getting to Alva greatly. Her vision was growing dark again, the light fading around her. She was barely able to see the outline of the trees off the path. She was not used to darkness like this. She saw what appeared to be Seth's Absol nodding her head up and down. What made her eyes widen was his Zoroark she was quite big for a Zoroark, taller than Alva by a whole head. The Zoroark nodded towards Seth, signalling the all clear. Seth turned his head to look down at the tan girl underneath him. His face passive and serious.

"Now before we make our way towards Arda, some ground rules. Number one, you never leave my side. You're as blind as a Zubat in this forests and I don't want to babysit you all day. Number two, you put away your quadruped lightbulb over there. He emits a natural light off of itself and we don't need to disturb the dark types in this forest anymore than you already have. Finally, listen to everything I say and don't go against it got." Seth said sternly towards the girl under him. His hand was still on her mouth and all she could do was nod her head. Seth gave a small smirk before getting up off the girl. He grabbed her by the wrist and quickly yanked her up off the ground. She may have been small, but he was surprisingly strong for looking so skinny. She turned and walked towards her Zebstrika. She held its Pokeball up to it, before giving a small smile and nod to confirm she'd be safe. It a quick flash of red, the Zebstrika was placed inside its small container.

"I guess I should thank you Seth. You saved me and Zebstrika quite the trouble there. However, you did pin me to the ground, I'm not that kind of girl." Alva said to the dark type leader, turning her head up at an angle.

"You're welcome." Seth said simply to her. That was odd it was coming from behind her. Why would he be behind her? "By the why I'm behind you blind Zubat. I'm also not a tree mind you." The spiky blonde said snidely. Alva was quite embarrassed.

"Well it doesn't help I'm basically blind here! A-" Before she could continue to yell, Seth placed his hand over her mouth. She glared daggers up at him.

"Hey, shut up. No need to go yelling and draw the attention of the Pokemon here. You already did that with your flashbang zebra over there." The strange looking leader said to his younger colleague. "Also what did I say about doing what I said? That includes not yelling." He told her. He grabbed her by the hand and squeezed it hard, and began to walk up the path to Arda Town. She did her best to keep up with Seth's long gait. It was proving harder than she thought. Looking to her sides, she could see Seth's Pokemon walking on either sides of them. His Absol and Zoroark beside him, the Honchkrow over head, Houndoom and Mightyena on either side of her, and Weavile riding on Houndoom's back.

"Seth. Stop pulling me along. I can walk on my own thank you." The electric leader said to the taller leader.

"No, you can't walk. Your eyes aren't meant to see in this darkness. Your eyes can barely make out the trees along the path. However, me and my Pokemon can actually see the path ahead, and the trees that go beyond the path. Why you may ask? The simple fact being is we've lived in this darkness for our entire lives. Just as our parents had. So we're used to it. We've adapted. Now come on. Quit dragging your ass." Seth told his blue highlighted 'guest. Walking faster than he was before, dragging her along even faster. It was gonna be a much longer day for Alva.

* * *

If Alva had to describe the feel of Arda Town. It was small and quiet. It was nothing like Elriic. No tall skyscrapers, no traffic in sight, and not even a mall. She was definitely out of her element here. However, Arda seemed so peaceful. The town itself was a bright beacon to her in the dark forest. She was amazed at the people who walked into the dark forest and navigated their way through the darkness so easily. She would always remember they were born here, unlike her. They were used to it.

Alva was sat in Seth's house. She had thought she'd be stopping by the the gym, but she guessed wrong. She was currently drinking juice after Seth had offered it to her, she could sense he was trying to be kind. There was still tension between the two. She looked across the room to see him reclined in a chair with his head tilted back looking at the ceiling. Examining the Pokeballs that contained the captured dark types. It was quiet. Before she had a chance to speak, the Arda leader spoke up.

"Hey, Alva. Sorry I yelled at you during the meeting. I was an asshole, just know that I'm passionate in protecting my Pokemon and their type. So I get caught up in the moment." He said, his attention still focused on the Pokeballs in his hand. She could hear the hints of sincerity in his voice.

"Well, I appreciate the apology Seth. Just know that I'm still young and learning how to do what is right." Alva said sweetly, with a small smile on her face.

"Yeah, I getcha." Seth said loud enough for her to barely hear. He stood up and made his way to the coat rack, grabbing a jacket. "Now then, come on. We got Pokemon to release back into the wild." Seth said to his guest in the other room.

"Wait, why do I have to come along? Can't you do it yourself?" Alva asked her host, a tint of fear could be heard in her voice.

"Because Sparky, you get to see how Queenie brings people into the forest. Plus Queenie hasn't seen her little princess in forever." Seth said with an amused tone. His eyes however were focused on someone else. She followed them to see his eyes looking at his Zoroark.

"So… is your Zoroark the 'little princess'?" Alva asked. She could see Seth's Zoroark visibly twitch. Her lip flaring upward.

"My name is Talulla. Not 'little princess'." The Zoroark said angrily. Alva's eyes widened. The Pokemon had just talked, it actually talked. She was left trying to put together a coherent sentence.

"Impressive Talulla you made a human, become just as incoherent as you once were." Seth said amused as he looked between his Zoroark and his tanned visitor.

"Wait, wait, wait. She can actually talk. How have you not told anyone Seth?" Alva asked her tall colleague. She couldn't believe the Zoroark had actually talked.

"Well, she doesn't actually talk. See her mouth doesn't move. She's creating an illusion you see. That voice is stolen from someone. She's just using it to speak her mind." Seth informed Alva. She still couldn't believe it. "By the way Talulla, if I remember correctly, and I always do. The name Talulla means 'princess'." Seth said humorously. Again the Zoroark twitched. Alva couldn't help but watch at the exchange between the two. It amazed her how well they could interact with one another.

"Just… shut it Seth. Come on, we might as well go see my mother anyway. She'll be thrilled to see me." Talulla sarcastically told her trainer.

"Wait so is Talulla actually a princess?" Alva asked confusedly. Seth couldn't help but smile at the situation.

"Well not an actual royal princess. It's just that Queenie, her mother, is the oldest living Pokemon in the Arda Forest. So she serves as a kind of guide or leader figure for the other Pokemon to get behind." Seth informed the black haired gym leader. She was still amazed by all of this. Just how organized were these Pokemon in this dark forest. She felt a mixture of curiosity and worry. Before she could say anything she was brought out of stupor by Seth grabbing her wrist and dragging her along.

"Come on Slowpokes. Me and Angel are already out of the house. So hurry up." It was Talulla, it was obvious she was outside the house at this point. As Seth and Alva walked out the door, she noticed his backyard led further into the forest.

"You know why my house was built here Alva?" The blonde asked his shorter companion. All Alva could do was shake her head as they walked further in. "Well it serves as a border. Everything beyond the back portion of my house, is exclusive for Pokemon to live in only. All that you see ahead of you is their Sanctuary." He said to the tan girl whose wrist he was holding. He squeezed it tighter to make sure she wouldn't stray away from him. The girl could get lost in this forest easily. To Alva it felt like it got darker and darker the further they walked into the forest.

* * *

All Alva could see was the outline of a large rock formation in a clearing. Somewhere along the way her hand had found its way onto to Seth's wrist and latched on for dear life. Afraid to let go.

"Queenie! Hey come on out, old girl!" That was Seth calling out.

"Mother come on! It's me!" There was Talulla, calling out to her mother. The supposed Queen of the Forest.

"Absol! Sol! Ab!" She was surprised to hear the Seth's Absol, Angel call out. I guess she was trying to make noise to draw her out. When Alva looked up, she could see a figure. A figure very similar to Talulla's. It was older looking, with what appeared to be gray in its fur. Another Zoroark. A wise old feminine voice rang out from the top of the rock formation it was on.

"Ah, what a pleasant surprise. My daughter has come to visit me. She brought along the Absol with fur as pure as new snow. Oh, and I can't forget my favorite Guardian. He appears to have brought along a guest for us. To what do I owe the pleasure." The Zoroark said. It was no doubt that this was Queenie. She had talked to Alva directly, it made Alva nervous for some reason. She found herself hiding behind Seth and getting as close to his back as she could. She however for a split second saw thing clearly. She could see figures coming out from the forest. More Pokemon. They were drawn here. They were surrounding the clearing, she was scared. Instead of continuing to fear, she felt Seth's hand make its way to hers. He squeezed it lightly, he was here to make sure she was fine. It made her feel better. It was so weird to her. He was so vastly different. At the council meeting he was so distant, cold, and angry. In Arda though he was funnier, nicer, and more open. What was it with him.

"Nothing much Queenie. I just have some new friends who could join the Sanctuary. Just wanted you to check them out first." Seth said firmly. An air of confidence in his voice. He was not easily intimidated. The elderly female Zoroark, couldn't help but smile.

"Well, let's see these Pokemon then. Seth Abramson, grandson of Colby Abramson. Guardian of this Dark Sanctuary." The elderly Zoroark said with a smile.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey another chapter down. I had a lot of fun writing this. Hopefully you all had fun reading this chapter as well.**

 **Also big achievement, over 100 views. Thanks for all of those who've read and those who've continued to read this story.**

 **Review, Follow, Favorite, Shilling done, and Thanks again for reading. Feel free to ask questions.**


	6. Chapter VI: You Wanna See Something

**Chapter 6: You Wanna See Something Real Scary?**

" _Well, let's see these Pokemon then. Seth Abramson, grandson of Colby Abramson. Guardian of this Dark Sanctuary." The elderly Zoroark said with a smile._

* * *

Three lone figures walked through the darkness enveloped forests of Arda. The figures walked through the forest with no trouble, as if they were able to see clearly. They passed by the various dark type Pokemon that inhabited the forest with no problem. The Pokemon either seemed to not notice them or stare at the trio walking, and turn away to run in fear. Their faces were shadowed by the hoods over their heads. They were following an unseen path. Determined on following it to their destination.

"How much further is this Abramson character? Surely he can't be this far out into the forest." The one on the left said to the one leading them. "I know from what I've read he's all about this 'being one with dark types nonsense,' but there's no way he could be this one with them." He continued stilling questioning the leader of the group.

"Oh quiet, your breaking the focus of our gracious tracker. Without the boss assigning our little tracker here, we would never be able to find this gym leader now would we?" The hooded figure on the right said. Its voice was awfully haughty.

"Shut up both of you. We're close to him, he's in the clearing ahead. I can sense his presence. He's bleeding out with that dark aura. I can also feel a massive cloud around him. Apparently he's summoned a meeting with him. Most likely Queenie." The lead figure said, not taking its eyes off the path it was following.

"The hell is a Queenie?" The hooded figure to the lead's right asked.

"It's a Zoroark, a female to be precise. One of the oldest Pokemon living in this forest. The Pokemon see her as an elder figure, someone to guide them. Hence the name Queenie. She was also one Corey Abramson's Pokemon. His strongest one." The lead figure told its companion.

"Okay, how the hell do you know all of this?" The hooded figure to the lead's left asked.

"The boss stationed me out here a long while ago. To simply watch and wait." The lead told his other companion. They saw the clearing ahead. The swarm of dark types around it was incredible, they were waiting for something. "Speaking of 'watch and wait', we best start doing that. Wait for my signal to go. No sooner, no later. Understood." The lead ordered its companion. They could see an eye shine in the shadow covering the lead's face. Red and black. It was an unnerving sight. It could make anyone submit to its gaze.

"Y-yes." The right and left companion said. They were scared looking at the eyes under the hood. It terrified them. They quickly found their positions around the outer perimeter of the large meeting surrounding the clearing. They would simply 'watch and wait' just as the lead had ordered.

* * *

Alva still held herself close to Seth. She was terrified by the fact that they were surrounded by all these dark types. He quickly found a hand reach over and grab her hand and lightly squeeze it. She saw it was Seth's hand over hers. She had it squeezing hard on his shoulder blade. She could see his head turn and give a wry smirk over at her. She felt safer at least knowing he'd be here to stop if push came to shove. "Hey Alva, I'm gonna need you to hand me over those Pokeballs." The teenage gym leader heard. She quickly grabbed the assigned Pokeballs containing the dark types the construction crew had caught. She felt a weight lift off of her when she handed Seth the Pokeballs. "Thanks Sparkplug." He said to her. He was amused with himself. She was still confused how this Seth felt so… normal. He was the glaring and feral looking man at the council meetings. He was carefree and natural here in Arda. She wanted to know why, but right now wasn't the appropriate situation.

Seth looked at the two Pokeballs he held in his hand. They felt strange, something was nagging at him. He quickly glanced out into the forest. He could see the thousands of trunks and the luscious green tops on each tree. He could see the many dark types surrounding the clearing, still lurking in the forest. He quickly shook the feeling off and threw the Pokeballs out in front of them.

Two separate flashes of red appeared in front of him. The one to his right was a foot shorter than him. It looked like it was wearing some sort of samurai armor. Covered from head to toe in black and red. Sharp blades on its arms, legs, and midsection. It was definitely a Bisharp. The one to his left surprised him greatly. It was Hydreigon, fully grown as well. ' _Just how in the hell did they capture that thing?'_ Seth thought to himself. There was no way a group of construction workers could capture this Pokemon. It didn't add up. The three headed dark-dragon simply stood there, scanning the clearing. It spotted another Hydreigon it began sizing it up, and flapping its wings. The Bisharp on the other hand was rubbing its arm blades together, it seemed like it was sharpening them. ' _What the shit? What is up with them? There's definitely something wrong here. I gotta get them back in the Pokeballs.'_ Seth thought to himself.

The other dark types were getting defensive, even they knew something was wrong with them. Queenie appeared to be preparing for a lunge on one of them. They knew something was off with these dark types. They were aggressive, it didn't help that this aura of violence surrounded them. It was off putting and overbearing. Seth glanced over to his Zoroark, Talulla and his Absol, Angel. They were going in for a preemptive strike. He made quick eye contact with both of them, he knew what was going to happen. In a split second decision, Seth spun himself around and grab Alva by her waist and ran as quickly as he could to place distance from the fight. He quickly found himself behind a tree, his back pressed back up against it. Alva in his arms. She was gripping onto his arms, she was terrified.

"Seth!? What's going on!?" She wailed, she was blind and terrified. Not a safe combination. He needed to be out there to bring down those two rogue dark types. He quickly placed Alva against the tree just outside the clearing. She was still trying to hold on. "No, no, no Seth! Please! I can't see out here!" Again she was never more terrified in her entire life.

"Listen, Alva. You need to calm down okay?" Seth told the younger Gym Leader. She was terrified he knew she was. He quickly reached into her pocket, she was initially shocked at first, but didn't seem to care after what Seth did. "Okay, you know how I said you need to do everything I said?" The blonde leader asked his young companion. She shakily nodded her. "Good. Now if one of those Pokemon ever come near you. You have my permission to use your four legged lighting rod here. Now stay here and wait for me. I got to take care of these beasts. Something is indeed wrong with them." Seth firmly placed the Pokeball in Alva's hand, before taking off into the clearing to help aid his Pokemon in the fight. Meanwhile, all Alva could do was wait for the fight to end and Seth to come back and get her.

* * *

Our wild haired Gym Leader did feel bad leaving Alva there to wait for him to return. He'd apologize later, but right now he had to deal with two rogue dark types, rampaging around the clearing. When he arrived back at the clearing he was relieved to see his two Pokemon leading the other dark types to surround the rogue Pokemon. Seth could see the fear in some of the Pokemon's eyes, he could understand why. There was something menacing about these two. Before he could blink the native Hydreigon smashed into the rogue Hydreigon. The two colossal dark dragons tangle their three heads together biting at one another. It was good seeing Talulla and her mother, Queenie working over there.

On the other side of the clearing Seth could hear the clinking and clanging of steel on steel. Looking over, he saw his Absol, Angel going on the offensive against the rogue Bisharp. Her scythe like head trying to land a strike on the Bisharp. At least they were being controlled and surrounded. Things could be a lot worse with them just running amok.

' _Okay, things are going well. Now just gotta wait for the rest of my team to arrive. Then we can actually put these things back in their balls. Alva was right, there's something off about these two. They're too aggressive. They are not acting defensive at all. What the hell is wrong with them?'_ Seth could only ponder as to what was wrong with them. All he could do now was coordinate and stall, and wait until Honchkrow, Weavile, Mightyena, and Houndoom arrived. They clearly would've heard the scuffle and the loud crashing coming from the forests from his house. As Seth was too focused on the fight to notice something lurking in the trees above him.

* * *

One of the cloaked figures was directly above Seth. The figure was now aided by what would be its Pokemon. A strange looking creature it was. The figure in the tree was getting impatient. It was right above Seth, it could come down at any moment now. The dark type Gym Leader was completely focused on the fight to notice the cloaked being in the tree above him. The figure put his finger to his ear. "Hey you two, I don't care what the boss says anymore. The Arda Gym Leader is right below me and I'm taking the chance to tag him." The figure said.

" _No you moron! If you jump now you'll at-"_ That was the other figure hiding in the tree tops opposite of the current figure. The figure couldn't care what his assigned partner thought. The figure just wanted Seth. Jumping down with his Pokemon at his side he yelled.

"Now Bibarel! ROCK SMASH!"

* * *

Seth heard the voice above him. Turning around fast enough he could see the avalanche of rocks coming down at him. A cloaked figure and a large creature behind the falling rocks. Seth was able to jump back away from the majority of the larger rocks falling down, however he was pelleted by some of the smaller ones. As the rocks impacted the ground they shattered kicking up dirt, dust, and spreading smaller pieces of rock across the clearing. Seth had to cover his eyes, to avoid the debris from potentially blinding him. As the dust and debris cleared, Seth could make out the figures. The man was clearly a brown haired man, with brown eyes to match. The creature next to him was indeed a Pokemon. Though it was a… Bibarel of all things. It's goofy looking appearance contrasted greatly in their current environment.

"Oh damn. We missed you the first time. Probably cause you heard me. Be a good boy and stand still will ya?" The brown haired man asked. His voice was filled with sarcasm and humor. Seth did not need this headache right now.

"Listen buddy, I don't have time for your nonsense. If you want a gym battle, head back to town and wait until tomorrow. I'm kind of busy at the moment." The blonde haired leader told the strange man across from him.

"Honestly boy, I don't care for your gym badges. I just came here to take your bloody head off." The stranger told Seth. Seth's eyes narrowed, he could see this man meant some of what he was saying. Though he still couldn't take this man seriously with that Bibarel next to him. It was too goofy looking.

"Right… of course you are." Seth said with sarcasm. "Might I at least know your name stranger?" The blonde asked.

"Oh hell, why not. You're not gonna be around for much longer, so why not tell you my name." The stranger said. He discarded his cloak dramatically. Revealing a strange brown short sleeve vest over a grey undershirt. His jeans were some made of some sort of black leathery material. He looked quite ridiculous. "The name is Irving Maurer," The strange man said to Seth his thumb pointed to himself. "and this right here is my good old Bibarel." He then pointed to his Bibarel. It made an attempt to be intimidating, but it looked even more ridiculous. It earned a hearty laugh from Seth. "Hey you little brat! What's so funny!?" Irving asked in anger. He was appalled someone would laugh at him.

"I'm sorry man, I can't take you serious with that Bibarel there." Seth couldn't help but laugh some more. Before he react he felt something hit him in his stomach. Something hard. It hurt. He lost his breath. Looking down at just the right time he saw the Bibarel's head jammed into his abdominal region. Before Seth knew it, he was hurled across the clearing slamming into other dark type Pokemon. As he skidded across the ground his vision was blurry. He was trying to regain his breath. ' _Shit. That hurt. I guess he was serious. Damn. Why does this hurt so much?'_ Seth thought to himself as he sat himself up. Still catching his breath. The Bibarel and Irving were moving closer to him. Talulla and Angel seemed prepared to jump to his aid, but were unfortunately cut off by the rogue dark type Pokemon. As Seth began to stand up, he felt a little wobbly. That Bibarel had thrown him off.

"Ah, come on now. Is that the best we can expect of the esteemed second-strongest Gym Leader in all of Kurai? You disappoint me kid. Bibarel, Extreme Speed." Irving commanded his Bibarel. In a flash the Bibarel was barreling down at Seth. He was gonna have to take another hit. Seth braced himself for impact.

Seth waited and waited, but noticed the impact never came. He saw the Bibarel frozen mid lunge. It's big goofy face frozen in time. Blizzard that could only mean one thing…

"WEAVILE!" A Weavile found itself latched onto Seth's back and was gripping to him. It brought a smirk to his face, seeing who it was. It was Sayuri, his Weavile and youngest team member. That Blizzard definitely came from her. Her being here meant the others weren't far behind. It was as if it was on cue that his Houndoom, Conan, came barreling through the forest and begin blasting Fire Blasts at the rogue Bisharp. In the canopy he could see his Honchkrow, Bran, attacking the rogue Hydreigon and aiding Talulla and Queenie. He saw his Mightyena Vuk, leading his pack of Mightyena's to attack the already surrounded Hydreigon. Good them being here could send Talulla and Angel over here.

"Thanks girl. Now go over and attack that Bisharp alright? Knock it out with all you got." Seth told his Weavile. She was happy to oblige and simply nodded, jumping off of his back and speeding at the Bisharp. Aiding Conan in the process. Angel and Talulla quickly found their way to Seth's side. "Hey you two, you held your own very well without my command." Seth complimented them. Angel simply yipped at the compliment, whilst Talulla was solely focused on still frozen Bibarel and the shocked master, Irving just standing there agast and confused.

"What the shit!? Come on that's not fair! It's suppose to be 2 on 1, not 3 on 2!" Irving whined. What was up with this guy. Talulla was having none of Irving's whining. Grabbing the frozen Bibarel and chucking it at him. "Oh damn it! Come on now! This sucks man!" He continued to yell. For someone who basically threatened to murder Seth he was very incompetent. In what seemed to be a feat of strength the frozen Bibarel broke out of its frozen prison. Quickly getting off its trainer and aiming itself at Seth and his Pokemon. It seemed that Irving's shirt sleeve had gotten stuck on the once frozen Bibarel and had ripped off in the pursuing break out. Seth noticed he had a strange stylized B on his wrist.

"Nice tattoo jackass. You know those things are permanent right?" Seth amusingly asked his apparent attempted murderer. "Plus a 'B' of all things? It holds no value at all." Seth said snidely to the man across the way. Seth noticed that the brown haired man's complexion had changed drastically. Forcing Seth into his guard. His Pokemon quickly followed suit.

"Oh you see, that's where you're wrong you little shit. This tattoo means a lot of things. The sad thing is, you won't be alive to know what it means." Irving told his target. As soon as Irving made eye contact with Seth, the Bibarel launched its attack. In incredible speed it seemingly found its way behind Seth and his Pokemon. Bringing down both of its hands, Seth noticed that a slicing noise could be heard. Luckily for him he was able to dodge out of the way, and Angel was able to block the attack. It was Cut.

' _Okay, how the hell is he able to give his commands without talking to him? He did it before. Now he can just do it without command?'_ The blonde trainer thought. "Talulla, Agility into Night Slash!" Seth commanded. In a flash Talulla was face to face with the Bibarel, and was bringing her clawed hand upward in a diagonal direction across the Bibarel's body. Though the attack never made contact. She was was left agape when she felt herself being launched across the clearing after receiving an attack to her back. "Angel back up!" Seth yelled to his Absol. They quickly back pedalled away from the Bibarel. Seth and Angel eventually made their way to block the Bibarel's path, if it made any attempts to make a direct attack on Talulla. Seth glanced down at his Zoroark, "Hey Talulla you feeling alright?" Seth asked concerned.

"Cheap shotting bastard. He just knocked the wind out of me is all. Why the hell is he so strong though?" Talulla said to her trainer. Seth was wondering the same thing. It made no sense. This Bibarel was much stronger than his Pokemon, and the fact that his would be 'assassin', Irving was giving no commands. Though the Bibarel was definitely receiving commands from somewhere. Seth took this opportunity to notice the rogue Pokemon were still being dealt with. At this point it was Bran, Vuk, and Queenie taking on the Hydreigon. Whilst Conan and Sayuri were dealing with the Bisharp. They to were way stronger than they should've been.

"What's the matter brat? Contemplating defeat already? That's just sad." Irving taunted from across the clearing. Seth was starting to get tired of this guy, his constant taunting was getting annoying. Before Seth could even make a move he saw a wave coming towards him, Angel, and Talulla.

' _Shit! Surf!? Come on now!'_ Seth thought angrily as he braced himself and put himself in front of Talulla and Angel. ' _Its gonna be a pain drying this out'_ Seth thought before the sudden wave appeared and swallowed the trio up.

* * *

All Alva could do was sit and wait. She could hear the fighting from her spot, but she still could not see. She clutched Zebstrika's Pokeball close to her chest. It was her lifeline here in this forest. She was shocked to hear everything that was going on in the clearing. She was afraid Seth would lose. She was getting more and more nervous.

' _Come on I have to do something.'_ Alva thought, clutching the Zebstrika's Pokeball harder. In a flash of brilliance, she stood up and brought out her Zebstrika. He was just as nervous as she was in the darkness of the forest.

"Alright Zeby, we're both scared. But we have to help Seth, he's fighting someone really strong and he's losing right now. We need to help. I have a plan to help him through." Alva said to her loyal Pokemon. Zebstrika gave a quick nod and neigh of confirmation, before taking off into the clearing.

* * *

As Alva entered the clearing with her Zebstrika, another figure in the trees spotted her. The figure had already removed their cloak and was simply watching the fifteen year old run into the clearing. The figure was a woman, most likely in her late teens. Her long blonde jagged hair flowing down her back. She wore a simple white and gold vest to cover her top half, whilst her lower half was covered in loose fitting white pants, with a gold belt sloppily holding it in place. The figure simply stroked her Pokemon's head while she waited. She was tasked with stopping Alva, though watching her colleague Irving throw the Arda Gym Leader for a loop was entertaining enough to stop her jumping in straight away.

"Let's just watch this play out, shall we?" She asked her Pokemon. It returned a simple call of its name.

* * *

Seth was not succeeding in trying to figure out Irving and his Bibarel. His body was completely soaked. Drenched in water from the constant Surfs and Waterfalls. He was breathing hard, tired from having to out maneuver the Bibarel's Extreme Speed. Talulla was equally just as soaked, however she had a large gash on her right hip. She was lucky enough to dodge the Bibarel's Cut after it got behind her. Angel was currently holding herself up on three legs, her front left leg had taken a pretty nasty Take Down. All in all things weren't looking so good. Seth was growing more and more irritated as time went by.

' _That damned smirk, I'm gonna wipe off that bastard's ugly mug.'_ Seth thought violently. Irving's smile was from ear to ear, it was practically lighting up the forest with how happy he was. Behind Irving though, Seth spotted the tan skinned gym leader trying to find her way around the clearing. ' _Arceus damn it Alva. I told you to stay st-'_ Seth's train of thought was cut off when he noticed her Zebstrika beside her. In a flash of both idiocy and brilliance Seth may have came up with the dumbest plan ever.

"Talulla, Angel," Seth called to his two Pokemon beside him. They glanced over to look at him. "just follow my lead alright? Whatever you do don't stop moving." Seth commanded his Pokemon, in a very serious tone. In a flash he was barreling down towards Irving in his Bibarel. His two Pokemon close behind him.

"Ah come on now brat! You're gonna kill yourself running at me! Where's the fun in that!?" Irving taunted towards Seth. In an instant the Bibarel was in front of Irving. He summoned a torrent of water from the ground. Waterfall. Seth and company were able to dodge the first torrent, the water was like a large sprinkler launching water everywhere. Seth and company kept moving towards him, in return the Bibarel kept creating more waterfalls. It was not until he was a few yards away from Irving and his Bibarel that Seth noticed his plan had fallen in place. As soon as the waterfall was brought out, he jumped away from the splash distance of the waterfall.

"HEY SPARKY FLASHBANG EM NOW!" Seth yelled at Alva. She quickly glanced over to see Seth's outline, she didn't know what was going on, but whatever she was doing was going to help.

"Zebstrika, Flash!" The Electric Gym Leader yelled out. In a flash of white, nearly everyone in the forest went blind. Except for one Alva and Zebstrika. They looked around confused at everyone rubbing their eyes. "Seth! Are you alright!" Alva yelled in concern. Before she could move to help, Seth yelled at her again.

"Alva zap that Bibarel!" He yelled, still trying to get his vision back. Alva could only listen and do as he said.

"Zebstrika, Thunderbolt!" She commanded. The electric energy formed around Zebstrika's horn and a lighting bolt discharged from it. Hurling itself across the clearing at light speed. As soon as it made contact with the Bibarel, it was paralyzed both in pain and from the sheer amount of electricity flowing through it. Alva heard a terrifying scream coming from the man next to his Bibarel. He was caught by the electricity as well. She noticed how soaked both of them were and noticed the waterfalls across the clearing. She glanced at Seth who seemed to be finally regaining his vision, she was so confused. He however gave her a thumbs up, with a large smirk on his face.

"Now Sparkplug, go put those two rogue Pokemon you gave me, and put them back in the Pokeballs while they're still blinded. I'll take care of this from here." Alva did as she was told and bolted across the clearing finding the Pokeballs for each respected rogue dark type she brought. In flashes of red the hurt and blinded rogues were put back in their balls. Eventually everyone was regaining their vision. Bran, Vuk, Queenie, Conan, and Sayuri saw their master slowly making his way towards the paralyzed man and Bibarel and quickly surrounded him and his Pokemon. All Alva could do was watch.

Seth grabbed the man by the collar, lifting him up face to face with himself. The man was terrified now. He was scared out of his mind. "You're quite scared for someone who talked so much shit earlier." Seth said to his terrified would be killer. Irving couldn't speak, the paralysis was still in effect. Before he knew it he was decked across the face, dropping like a sack of potatoes to the ground. He was fairly certain his nose was broken. "Now then, who sent you to try and kill me? Also, why the hell is your Bibarel so damned strong and how is it able to receive commands without you giving them orally? You don't seem like a pretentious psychic type." Seth said in a menacing tone.

Alva didn't know what to do, she felt like she couldn't move. Her sight was being impaired again, the darkness was coming back, but it was forming around Seth and his Pokemon. She didn't know what was going on. All she could do was watch, she wouldn't dare try and use Zebstrika right now.

Irving was beyond terrified at this point, his vision was beginning to darken. He couldn't see. He let out a yell, his voice came back. "What the hell is this he yelled!?" Irving yelled at Seth. The blonde haired trainer seemed to be vanishing into this black dark cloud that was beginning to impair Irving's vision.

"Tell me something Irving. You wanna see something real scary?" Seth asked. Irving could only shake his head, his movement was returning and yell no at the Gym Leader as he disappeared into the darkness. Irving was left alone. It was dark he couldn't see anything. There was an absence of light. He saw something it the distance though. It was a light. It looked like a girl and a four legged Pokemon, they were giving off a faint light. He began crawling his way towards the two. As he began to crawl he grabbed onto something. It was furry, it felt like a leg. Looking up he saw the outline of horns. It was the Houndoom. The Houndoom let out a stream of fire on Irving's hand, burning it to the ninth degree. All he could do was let go and crawl away.

His attempts to crawl away were in vain though. He found something grab him by his leg and drag him across the clearing, looking behind he saw it was the Weavile. Its hands were freezing to the touch. He could feel his leg freezing, it was so cold. He couldn't feel it. The Weavile let go of him. Irving found himself scrambling to his his feet. As soon as he stood he was knocked down off of his feet by a winged creature. He tried to get up, again he was knocked down. No matter how many times he tried to get up, he was knocked down. He heard the screeching, the yelling, and the pain. Cuts, bruises, burns, frostbite, and broken bones were affecting him. He could see the eyes of the Pokemon in the darkness, he was going insane. He couldn't comprehend it. He was left to go insane, all he could do was scream.

* * *

Seth and his Pokemon watched as Irving squirmed and yelled. It was pathetic at this point. Seth glanced over at Alva who seemed terrified at this point, all she could hear was the man's screams and cries of pain. He was going to make his way over to her, but noticed something strange occur. He noticed that his tattoo was burned and there was a cut over it. His tattoo seemingly faded away and vanished. Seth noticed the Bibarel had gotten to its feet. It was confused, all it saw was six glaring dark types looking at it, before it broke out into a full sprint into the forest. It was back to normal it seems, it was terrified and not trying to challenge him and his Pokemon. When he made sure Irving was left in his terrified state he made his way towards Alva.

He put his hand upon her head and simply rubbed it. "It's okay Alva, it's over now." Seth said comfortingly to the younger Gym Leader. She was amazed at his easy tone shift.

"What did you do to him Seth? Please tell me you didn't… you know…" Alva trailed off before finishing her sentence.

"No, I didn't kill him. Just basically scarred the shit out of him. Easier to get info out of him. He's hiding something Alva." Seth informed his younger companion.

"How do you know Seth?" She asked the taller leader.

"He had a strange tattoo on his arm. Well, not strange, but the letter 'B'. The way he talked though and the way he fought. I knew he was hiding something from me. I'll be damned if I don't find out what it is." Seth told his blue highlighted fellow council member. He took a deep breath in, he noted his body still hurt. That Bibarel packed a punch. He plopped himself on the ground, he needed to rest. He looked up towards Alva who was still standing. He grabbed her by her wrist and pulled her down to sit.

It was silent for quite sometime. "You know," Seth said, he caught Alva's attention, "I thought you were gonna be a bigger pain in the ass when I told you what to do." Seth said with humor in his voice.

"It was one of your rules. You basically told me to 'do everything I say'." She said snidely. Seth couldn't help but chuckle at her joke. She wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

In the shadow of the forest, a figure stood hidden. He blended into the forest, he could see Seth and Alva sitting in the clearing resting. Seth's Pokemon were surrounding Irving. He was always useless. The figure knew he'd be the first to fall. He was surprised to see the supposed 'Guardian of the Dark' not kill Irving and Bibarel. Maybe the leader was wrong. The figure began making his way towards the clearing, he knew he had backup in the trees. The 'B' had been compromised. The 'J' was still hidden in the trees waiting for an opportune moment to strike. Beneath the figure's hood though, an outline of another letter could be seen. A 'Y'...

* * *

 **A/N: Probably one of the longer chapters. A lot of shit going down in this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. The villains make their appearance. A mystery group it seems, oooooooo.**

 **Also I'd like to give a shout out to Zero Lunar for reviewing each chapter. I appreciate it friendo. Thanks man.**

 **Don't forget to Review, Favorite, Follow, and Thank you for reading friends**


	7. Chapter VII: We're Not Prepared For This

**Chapter 7: We're Not Prepared for This…**

 _In the shadow of the forest, a figure stood hidden. He blended into the forest, he could see Seth and Alva sitting in the clearing resting. Seth's Pokemon were surrounding Irving. He was always useless. The figure knew he'd be the first to fall. He was surprised to see the supposed 'Guardian of the Dark' not kill Irving and Bibarel. Maybe the leader was wrong. The figure began making his way towards the clearing, he knew he had backup in the trees. The 'B' had been compromised. The 'J' was still hidden in the trees waiting for an opportune moment to strike. Beneath the figure's hood though, an outline of another letter could be seen. A 'Y'..._

* * *

Seth and Alva were still sitting in the clearing, just resting. Seth was still wet from his encounter with those Surfs and Waterfalls. He felt a weight shift closer to him. Looking down, he could see Alva scooting closer to him. She was still scared, she was back to being as blind as a Zubat. He was amused by this. Seth did the best he could and put a hand on her shoulder, signaling he was right next to her. Here she was just another person to watch over and protect, guard even. He was the Guardian of not just Arda, but its Pokemon and people. It was a tough job, but everytime he did something right, it was worth all the effort. Seth took a simple breathe, but noticed a sharp pain in his midsection. That Bibarel got him pretty good. Before he could assess how bad it was he heard a voice speak up.

"Hey Seth," it was Alva, grabbing his attention. "what's it like in here through your eyes? How do you see the forest?" She asked innocently enough. Seth smirked again, she definitely was not as bad as some of the other Gym Leaders or Elite Four. She was just curious and young. He knew exactly what that was like.

"Well Sparky, I guess how it's normally how you see outside the forest. It's well lit, you can see a few Arceus Rays break through the canopy and shine down on us. The amazing thing is, they're never in the same place. Other than that I see the forest just normally." He told her. He could see a small smile form on her face.

"But what about outside the forest? How do you see that?" She asked curiously.

"I mean, it's a bit brighter than you would see it I guess. It's not blinding, but it's definitely brighter." He informed her. She was still trying to figure it all out, which amused him. "Hey Sparky, you got those two rogues in hand?" The tall blonde asked his shorter companion.

"Yeah, I picked them up as soon as I put them back in." Alva told the wild haired Gym Leader, as she rummaged through the pocket that held the two rogue Pokemon inside. She couldn't help but glance over to Seth's Pokemon who were currently encircling the seemingly paralyzed Irving. She quickly noticed Talulla and Angel shift their heads from looking at Irving to scanning the forests, before quickly darting over to Seth and Alva. Placing themselves next to them.

"Hey you two what's up?" Seth asked them, he was curious why they would leave their guarding post of Irving. He noticed how hard they were glaring out into the forests. He tried focusing in on what they were looking at, but he couldn't see it. "I don't know what you're glaring at, but it's probably gone." Seth said trying to reason. He knew they'd be a bit on edge from their fight with Irving, but now they were just being paranoid. No Pokemon in the forest would try to sneak attack Seth, he was too familiar with the Pokemon here. As soon as he shifted focus to look back into the forest, he saw a figure. It was cloaked, cloaked in the same material Irving was. His face hidden from the shadow of the hood.

"I assume they were watching me, boy…" The stranger said, his voice was definitely male. He raised his head slightly, and Seth saw the bottom of a marking of some kind. He noticed what it was. A tattoo, just as Irving had on him. In the same design. However, the letter was different. A large 'Y' covered the man's right side of his face. Seth instantly took notice of the man's red and black eyes, they were unsettling. There was something about this man, something very wrong. Seth couldn't find the words to describe it though.

* * *

In the trees above, the long-jagged blonde haired woman could only watch. She was intrigued why their tracker would reveal himself. She saw amusement in watching Irving be paralyzed and tortured through fear alone. She simply stroked the top her Pokemon's head. A wicked smile on her face. She was eyeing Alva and Seth, she definitely wanted to axe them first. Plus two birds with one stone. Two Gym Leaders killed in a single day. How perfect it was for her.

"Let's just wait and see how this plays out, shall we?" She asked her Pokemon, it gave a small confirmation through saying its name.

* * *

"Nice tattoo jack ass." Seth said to the man who was standing in the cross section between the forest and the clearing. The snide comment Seth made didn't come out quite as he wanted. It sounded like it had fear in his voice. Why? What was this guy doing?

"A pleasure meeting you I assume Seth Abramson, grandson of Corey Abramson, Guardian of the Darkness and All of Arda. I see you also brought Alva Mollown, she is quite the long ways away from Elriic isn't she?" The tattoo faced man asked.

"How the hell do you know my name?" Alva asked silently.

"Because my dear child, we do our research quite thoroughly before we commit to any rash actions." He told the tanned skinned teen. He pulled the cloak off of himself. Wild crimson hair, with black streaks running through it. He was about Seth's height, but he could tell this strange man had more muscle than himself. His black duster and black long pants were accentuated with strange red markings running across it. As Seth began walking forward he noticed that Talulla and Angel were stood still. Not moving.

"Talulla, Angel, come on now. What's the matter? We can trump this tattooed freak like we did the last one." Seth said confidently. Though his Pokemon did not share the same confidence as he did. They were stuck, they couldn't move. They felt like their limbs were frozen. Seth noticed something was off quickly as he noticed the distress in their eyes. He glanced over to the rest of his Pokemon surrounding Irving, and noticed they were glanced over at the man in black, feared in their eyes as well. Looking back at the strange man he noticed something. He could see the outline of something behind him. It was hazy looking, blending into the forest. It was a large creatures with wings, Seth instantly knew what they were feeling. It was starting to affect him. ' _What the hell is that?'_ The dark type Gym leader thought to himself. He heard footsteps behind him, Alva was walking forward. ' _Arceus damn it Alva, stay back for now.'_ He thought angrily. Wait why couldn't he speak?

"Seth let me help, together we can beat this gu-" Before Alva could finish her sentence a loud thud could be heard and a voice rang out.

"Thunderbolt that little tanned punk!" It yelled. Seth in a split second noticed it was a woman. Long jagged-blonde hair. Wearing a golden vest, loose fitting white pants, and sporting a strange yellow belt to hold them up. He saw the Thunderbolt heading straight towards Alva. Seth knew this was the dumbest thing he'd ever done and it most likely is. In a split second decision, he jumped back, placing his left arm in front of the incoming Thunderbolt. It struck the palm of his hand, and in a split reaction he smacked the bolt across his body and into the forest. He noticed the strange shadowy beast behind the red haired man was gone. Then he felt it. The most agonizing thing ever, words couldn't describe it.

All Seth could do was look at his arm, his entire left sleeve was missing, burned off. He noticed scars forming across it, blood seeping through the cuts across his left arm. He noticed his fingers, misshapen and out of place. Broken. His entire left arm was spasming, to calm it down he placed his right hand on it. He would soon regret it, the shock had worn off. Seth in that instance could feel every single broken bone and destroyed muscle in his left arm. Seth was trying his hardest to contain it. But in a single word he let it all out...

"FUUUUUUUUUCK!" He yelled, all he could do was yell at that moment. Hoping his yelling would subside the pain in his left arm. It wasn't working. It hurt so bad. Bones shattered and broken. Muscles and ligaments torn. Blood flowing from his left arm. All he could do was yell at the top of his lungs. He felt himself fading, he tried his hardest to stay awake. All he could hear was Alva and Talulla shouting his name.

The mysterious man and woman could only look on at the young man he sacrificed his limb. The woman had a sickening pleasured look plastered on her face, while the man was disinterested. That Thunderbolt had destroyed what was keeping Seth's Pokemon in a state of fear. Now it was gone, and they were enraged beyond imagination. "I say now it is best to retreat." The 'Y' man told his blonde haired associate. She simply turned to glare at him.

"Why the hell should we. I mean look at him. He's prone, I say we finish him-" Then she felt a searing pain in her arm. Looking down a Mightyena was attached to it. Sinking its teeth into her arm. She screamed in pain. "Damn you shitty little mutt! Volt Tackle!" In a flash of light a ball of electricity collided with the Mightyena. Her Pokemon then flashed back behind her. "Flash now!" A blinding light appeared, but she and her companion covered their eyes at the last second. Before making their escape. They darted into the forest as fast as they could. Leaving Seth's group in the clearing in the dust. "Hey what about lil ol' Irving?" She asked amused.

"Leave him, he's dead weight. He lost his tattoo and with that the loss of his Pokemon. He's of no use to us. Plus heading back there would more than likely get you killed, a defensive and angry dark type is nothing to tangle with." The man told her. The woman had a wicked smile on her face again. Dropping the dead weight was always a good thing, plus inflicting pain on the Arda Gym Leader was fun as well. She was disappointed she couldn't kill his little blue highlighted friendo back there. That would wait for another time.

* * *

As soon as they retreated out of the clearing, Seth's body finally let itself go. He fell to his knees, still holding his arm, as if in an attempt to hold it in one piece. Then finally falling face first into the grass and blacking out. Talulla shoved herself passed Alva to attend to Seth. Screaming his name and shaking him as if to wake him up. Angel was still in shock, but made her way quickly to Seth trying to help as well. Bran took to flying in the canopies to get a good view of the area to see where the perpetrators ran off to. Sayuri, Conan, and Vuk quickly patrolled the perimeter of the clearing, an attempt to catch any would be counterattacks in case they came back. Queenie stood over Irving, who was still shocked by fear. All Alva could do was watch everyone took to their roles. She felt useless.

It was as if something possessed her and she threw out her three Electric Pokemon. Her famed Zebstrika, a kind looking Ampharos, and a fierce looking Luxray. "Listen you three, there's not much time to explain, but please do as I say." She said to them. They all immediately nodded. "Zeby create enough light for me to see and help illuminate anything when need be. Ampharos I'm gonna need your help doing some heavy lifting, just in case. Luxray race into town and grab their attention." Alva commanded her Pokemon, all of them took to their task except for her Luxray. He didn't know where town was. In a split second reaction Alva remembered the rock outcropping that Queenie stood on. They came in to the clearing facing it, and Seth and her walked in a straight path. "Luxray see that rock? Go that way as fast as you can and grab help" She commanded. Faster than lightning the lion like Pokemon took off.

Alva ran over to the downed Seth, he was still out. Talulla was baballing at this point. Alva could tell she'd never experience seeing someone like this. Seth was one of the strongest Gym Leaders in Arda, so to see him getting hurt so terribly was taking a toll on her. It was scaring Alva as well. She always envisioned Seth to be cold and hard, not being able to get hurt. She was wrong, remembering him just screaming was sending shivers down her spine. Grabbing onto Talulla's shoulder she caught her attention. "Talulla, we need to help him okay?" Alva asked, hoping to get through to her.

"Seth wake up please! Why are you bleeding!? You can't bleed! You can't get hurt!" Talulla said as she yelled and tried to get Seth to wake up. Alva grabbed her clawed hands away from Seth's body. Alva quickly let go as she saw Talulla's face. It was a mixture of pain, fear, anger, and hatred all at once. It terrified Alva. She saw that Talulla went back to yelling at Seth and shaking him, she was scared. She never knew what it was like to be in this position to see her trainer get hurt like this. Very few Pokemon do see their masters hurt like this. However, shaking and yelling at Seth wasn't going to help him. Alva grabbed Talulla's clawed hands again, she saw that same mixed reaction on her face again.

"Talulla we need to help him. Yelling and shaking him isn't. We need to get him into town quickly, alright." Alva asked sternly. Talulla could only nod stubbornly. Alva was eventually able to quickly regroup Seth's Pokemon to aid in the transportation of Seth and Alva back into Arda. They'd need to work fast. Bran and Vuk were patrolling just off the path into the clearing to ensure their safety. Talulla had sped into town as well, along with Angel. A familiar face would help with the urgency. Zebstrika was leading the way for Alva, illuminating her path. Connan was taking up the rear with Queenie who were carrying the paralyzed Irving into town as well. Ampharos was the one carrying Seth as gently as it could, with Sayuri on its shoulder. Sayuri was keeping his arm frozen with small blizzards, hoping to freeze everything in place and stop the flow of blood in his left arm. In hopes of buying them as much time as possible.

All Alva could think in her head was ' _Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it! Why!? What's going on!? Who are these people? Why would they try to kill me and Seth? What is with those tattoos? Their get ups? What is happening!?'_ Was all she could think while moving as fast as she could through the forest. She saw the lights of Arda up ahead and hopefully help was waiting for them. Arceus knows they needed it, they weren't prepared for something like this.

* * *

 **AN: Damn that's gotta hurt. What is going? Who knows? Who are these guys? Who knows? Will Seth be alright? Who Knows?**

 **Yeah this is definitely one of the shorter chapters in term of timelapsing. But hey, hopefully you guys enjoyed it. Shit just got real.**

 **Again thank you for reading. Review, Follow, Favorite, do all that good jazz. Critique my writing, make fun of me or something. Just glad you read it.**


	8. Chapter VIII: Hospital Bedside Manners

**Chapter 8: Hospital Bedside Manners.**

 _All Alva could think in her head was 'Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it! Why!? What's going on!? Who are these people? Why would they try to kill me and Seth? What is with those tattoos? Their get ups? What is happening!?' Was all she could think while moving as fast as she could through the forest. She saw the lights of Arda up ahead and hopefully help was waiting for them. Arceus knows they needed it, they weren't prepared for something like this._

* * *

He was unmoving, but he was alive. That was good. She watched as his chest rose and fell rhythmically with each breath he took. She looked at his left arm. Mangled was one word to describe it. Tubes, splints, wires, and metal; all holding the broken limb together. From where she was sitting in the hospital room, she was glad she was sitting in a visitors chair. Her fifteen year old mind couldn't take being any closer to it. Grief wracked her mind as she thought back to her blonde haired colleague sacrificing his left arm to protect her. She felt so weak and helpless just sitting here. There was one person in more pain than her, well Pokemon in pain.

Alva couldn't help but glance up and see a pale skinned girl with long flowing red hair, tied back in a ponytail, holding Seth's right arm. Looking down at him and keeping watch. Waiting for him to wake up. Talulla, his Zoroark, disguised in her human illusion to keep him company. Seeing her transform in person was incredible, it blew her young mind, that a Pokemon was capable of that. From what Talulla told Alva; herself, Seth, and his Pokemon were the only ones who knew she was able to create an illusion this strong. Speaking of Pokemon, they all found a spot around his bed to reside nearby. Angel, his Absol insisted on taking the foot of the bed. It was amazing to see the loyalty these Pokemon held for their trainer, it was quite the sight to see.

Now they sat there waiting for the council to arrive, more than likely wanting to know what happened. Alva could only imagine the mood they'd be in having to actually come to Arda, and then seeing Seth's Pokemon out of their Pokeballs surrounding him in a collective defensive sleep wall.

Alva heard the sounds of running down the hall and it was getting closer and closer to them. Alva quickly glanced up at Talulla, the Zoroark gave the Elriic City Gym Leader a simple nod. They had a plan and they'd keep to it, no matter what. The first person to rush into the room was surprising to see it was Toski. Kurai's Bug Type Gym Leader and one of Alva's closest friend on the council. She came barreling into the hospital room with reckless abandon. She ran right by Seth's Pokemon and Talulla and went straight towards Alva. Toski tackled Alva with full force, hugging her tightly on the ground.

"Oh Arceus Alva! You had me so worried! When I heard the call, I thought you were hurt! Thank goodness you're all right!" The chestnut haired leader cried. Alva couldn't help but sigh at her older friend's childish actions. Sometimes Alva wondered who was the mature one in the friendship at some points. Alva was able to find the strength to pull herself and Toski up. Toski was refusing to let go.

"I'm all right Toski." Alva said calmly, pulling away from her friend for a bit. Toski wasn't so convinced. After a quick spin revealing she had no injuries anywhere Toski calmed down.

"Well I'm glad you're all right then Alva. Arceus, you had me legit worried there." Toski said to her best friend. As she spun around she said "Now, how is Seth doin-" and upon fully spinning around she noticed the Pokemon surrounding the Dark type Gym Leader. She noticed all his Pokemon were present, however she noticed that his Zoroark was missing and in place was this pale, redheaded, and attractive looking woman; holding Seth's hand while he slept. "Uhhhhh" Toski didn't quite know how to continue from this point forward. "H-how is Seth doing?" Toski simply asked the strange red haired lady.

"Besides a wrecked arm? He's been fine." The red haired lady said. Toski couldn't help but still feel uneasy around all these Dark types. Arda already creeped her out, but so many Dark type Pokemon in one room at the same time? Wasn't doing her any favors. "Easy now," the pale girl said to Toski. "they won't hurt you. They're just here to make sure Seth is alright." She said to the Bug type Gym Leader. Toski couldn't help but gulp and make a shaky nod, understanding what she had said. She proceeded to take a seat next to Alva.

Toski leaned into her best friend. "Who is this girl Alva? She's kind of creepy." Toski whispered to Alva.

"She's just a close friend of Seth Toski, no need to be so afraid of her." Alva said to her friend with a smile.

"But doesn't she give you the creeps or something?" Toski asked her tan friend. Before Alva could even reply Talulla spoke up.

"I'd prefer it if you two didn't whisper about me when I'm right here." Talulla said slightly annoyed. "Besides I'd wait until the rest of the council get in here to crowd up this hospital room. It'll be barely large enough to hold all of us in here." Talulla said to the two younger girls sitting in the visitor's chairs.

Talulla quickly glanced behind her two hear the door open. She saw two people with blonde hair, matching blue eyes, and a boy and a girl. It was none other than the Champion of Kurai herself, Nelda Griffin and her younger brother, George Griffin. Talulla gave them a quick glare and turned her head back to look at Seth. Talulla couldn't help but listen to the footsteps of Nelda and and George getting closer to Seth's bed.

"I didn't know this hospital allowed for Pokemon to be outside their Pokeballs." Nelda said to no one in particular, obviously referring to Seth's Pokemon currently sleeping and surrounding his bed. "I hope they are put back in their respective balls once the meeting begins." Nelda told Talulla sternly.

"I don't suppose you think you have any authority over me or Seth's Pokemon while in Arda. You can growl all you want little doggie, I'm not listening." Talulla snapped back snidely to the Ice Queen of Kurai.

Before Nelda could even retort George slid into the conversation, extending his hand to Talulla. "Hey there. Sorry about my sister, she's just a bit cranky about the trip over here." He said kindly to. Talulla eventually reached out and shook George's hand, he returned in kind. He is a kind man after all. "So, I've never heard Seth talk about you before. Sorry if this sounds rude, but who are you?" George asked quizzically.

"I'm Talia, a close friend of Seth. I help him run the Gym whilst he's away and deal with other problems in Arda while he's occupied." Talulla said to the Dragon Prince. "I'm not surprised Seth hasn't talked about me much he is a private person." Talulla said glancing down a bit.

On the other side of the room Toski and Alva could only watch as George talked to Talulla in her human illusion. Alva noticed a confused face on her face. "Hey Toski, what's wrong?" Alva asked her best friend.

"Don't you think it's weird that George is hitting on Seth's friend while he's currently out cold. I mean George is smooth, but don't you think this seems kind of scummy to do that?" Toski asked her blue highlighted colleague.

"I guess. But we don't even know the full extent of their relationship. Like she said Seth's a private guy." Alva said to Toski, as an attempt to help alleviate the awkwardness of the conversation. _Hopefully she hasn't caught on or something._ Alva thought worriedly.

"Are you kidding me? Look at Talia, she's been at his seem like for days and she hasn't even let go of his hands once. I think she's more than a close friend." Toski told her tanned friend.

Alva couldn't believe what she was hearing, especially knowing that Talia was actually Talulla, who was actually a Zoroark. A Pokemon. "Come on you're being silly." Alva said incredulously.

"Call it a gut feeling." The Hive Mother told her younger friend with a confident smirk and wink. Their attention was immediately brought back to George and 'Talia's' conversation.

"So do you have a place to stay in Arda? I'm assuming you do but where?" George asked kindly to the red haired beauty in front of him.

 _Why is he asking me so many weird questions?_ Talulla thought as she stared at the young Elite Four member. "I live with Seth actually, we live together in his parent's and grandfather's old house, just a bit outside of Arda." Talulla told George simply. George seemed a bit disappointed in the answer he was given and for a split second his smile fell, but quickly reappeared.

"Oooooo~, what's this I hear about a girl living with Seth." A voice called from the doorway, catching everyone's attention. It was an energetic and youthful voice, belonging to a woman with long brown hair and a strange feathery crown. It was none other than Kerri. "So who's the lucky lady living with Seth now?" She asked to the council members in the room. She quickly spotted a red haired woman grabbing and holding Seth's hand while lying unconscious in his bed. "Well now, aren't you the cutest thing ever." Kerri said nonchalantly looking at Talulla. Talulla felt blood rush to her face. _What's with these people, why do they keep asking me such weird questions?_ Talulla thought innocently.

"So I guess you're the lucky girl Seth gets to call his girlfriend." Kerri said with a contagious smile. Alva could look on in horror at the scene in front of her. _Oh Arceus Seth, please don't hate me._ Alva's mind was an all time worried state right now.

"I-I-I'm Talia. And I'm not his G-girlfrined. Just a close friend." Talulla told Kerri a blush on her face, and turning away to avoid eye contact with the lively Elite Four member. Kerri could only smile more at the girl's reaction.

"Sure whatever you say. Just to let you know, Seth is real lucky to have someone like you around." Kerri said with a smirk and wink. Only causing Talulla to blush even further. She glanced over to Alva for support, but seemingly got none. Alva was just as confused as she was. "So how many members do we have coming to our little meet up now?" Kerri asked the Champion of Kurai.

"Besides us? Faylinn, Edric, Gardi, Edlin, Sedgewick, Covey, Petey, and Biriccu." Nelda said flatly. She had found a good spot to lean against the wall.

"So Carr, Hertha, Rowtag, and Flint aren't attending? Strange." Kerri said as she sat down on the ground. She was one of the few council members willing to get closer to the Dark type Pokemon which laid around Seth's hospital bed.

"Not really, someone has to run the Elite Four while we're away, so Carr volunteered. Flint is currently doing some big charity drive or something in Temle. And I haven't gotten a single word from Rowtag and Hertha." Nelda told her second in command at the Elite Four.

"Those two are probably off banging like Lopunnys in her office…" A tired and foreign voice said. The room immediately glanced over to Seth's bed. It was him, he was awake somewhat. He had his right eye barely open, a small slit only seeing a fraction of the room. He quickly turned his head to see a red haired girl next to his bedside, gripping onto his hand. His right eye opened more and his left eye eventually followed suit. "Hey there T-" He was caught off after being jumped on and smothered into the biggest hug of his life. He couldn't hear much. He heard the words like 'Idiot', 'Why?', and the phrase 'Leave me like that.' Seth couldn't help but smirk at how much Talulla worried about him. _You worry so much about me… sorry I didn't wake up sooner Talulla._ The wild haired man thought to himself. He brought his good arm, his right, and snaked it around her back, squeezing her in closer to him. Her head was buried in the crook of his neck. He was finally able to see who was all here in his… hospital room? _Oh right, yeah… I completely destroyed my entire freaking left arm._ Seth thought as he glanced around the room. He saw his Pokemon strung across the foot and below his bed. He noticed George, Nelda, and Toski with shocked expressions on their faces. Alva had one of pure confusion, whilst Kerri had to biggest smirk of her life going on right now. _I don't even want to know what she's thinking about._ Seth thought. He could hear the sounds of footsteps outside of his hospital room and one by one more and more of the council members walked in. Sans the names Nelda said aloud. They too had either reactions of shock, confusion, or some kind of smile or smirk. _Well at least they think you're a human girl Talulla._

* * *

At the head of a large glass table in a dimly lit room sat various members shrouded in the darkness. All glancing at one another and looking at their reports. The man with the 'Y' tattoo was sat at the table. "Well now, it seems you were not able to kill our good friend Seth and or little Alva, but it's no matter the revelation of one of their members being so dangerously injured will affect them just as much. We'll just have to wait it out a bit longer." said an icy feminine voice.

"Yes, as well they've let four of their members unguarded as well. Quite easily disposable if you ask me." A male voice rang out. "They shall be easy pickings while they conduct their little makeshift meeting in Arda."

"Yes, but what about Irving? Should we make any attempts to rescue him from his captivity?" Another voice rang out, this time. It was a young female voice.

"Don't be ridiculous he was just deadweight. Irving Maurer, The Bibarel. A complete deadweight. Good riddance." The male voice said next to her said.

"Oh you're right sweetheart, I could never agree more now." The female voice replied. The sound of lips smacking could be heard shortly after.

"No matter what happens this little Council of Kurai will fall soon enough. Yesterday one was injured greatly. Today however, they will lose four members. I've already sent The 'H' to dispose of Carr Rush. I've sent The 'I' after Flint Patterson. Finally I've sent The 'S' and 'C' to take care of Rowtag Underwood and Hertha Marchand. Today we'll watch four council members die before our very eyes." Said a female voice as she spun her swivel chair around to look up at the large screen behind her. Displaying POV footage of their operatives on the hunt for the Kurai Council Members.

* * *

 **A/N: Whooo boy. That was fun to right. A little more comedy in this section. Probably fell flat in all likelihood, but hey you need some of that after a shocking chapter like the previous one.**

 **Also we're gonna be focusing on four other Gym Council members soon, as well as learning about the other Council Member's personalities in the upcoming meeting in Seth's crowded hospital room. Probably breaking a few fire codes there guys.**

 **So yeah, I'm gonna assume I'm around 300 views at this point because reports are coming in that FanFiction viewer tracker is broke or something. But if it wasn't oh well, happy 218 views for me then.**

 **Thank you for reading this new chapter. Review, Favorite, Follow, and make fun of me and critique the shit out of me. Thank you again for reading, I've hoped you've enjoyed.**


	9. Chapter IX: The War Begins

**Chapter 9: The War Begins**

" _No matter what happens this little Council of Kurai will fall soon enough. Yesterday one was injured greatly. Today however, they will lose four members. I've already sent The 'H' to dispose of Carr Rush. I've sent The 'I' after Flint Patterson. Finally I've sent The 'S' and 'C' to take care of Rowtag Underwood and Hertha Marchand. Today we'll watch four council members die before our very eyes." Said a female voice as she spun her swivel chair around to look up at the large screen behind her. Displaying POV footage of their operatives on the hunt for the Kurai Council Members._

* * *

The hospital room in which Seth was currently occupying was… crowded, to say the least. Fourteen of the Kurai Council were in the room, as well as his six Pokemon who had refused to leave his side. Plus Seth had fun telling Cadwallader to 'shove it' when the man demanded that his Pokemon be placed back in their Pokeballs. It was one of the few times Seth called rank on someone below him.

"Now then Seth." A voice called out to him. He shifted his head from Cadwallader's spot on the far side of the room. Moving past Petey, the Rock Gym Leader, and Bricriu, the Poison Gym Leader. Passing by the elderly Covey, the Normal Gym Leader, and the knight Sedgewick, the Grass Gym Leader. Finally focusing on Nelda, with Faylinn and Kerri on her right, and with her younger brother George on her left. Further to Nelda's right was Edric, the Psychic Gym Leader, and Gardi, the Ghost Gym Leader. "What exactly happened." Nelda asked the wild haired gym leader.

"Well it all depends, you want the short or long version?" Seth asked with a smirk on his face, he noticed a visible tick on Nelda's face appear. _It's so easy for me to get to her._ Seth thought wickedly.

"Seth please, it'd be best if you told us everything you could it'd be very useful." Seth shifted his head to the right of Nelda, it was Faylinn who requested he give all the information he could. He was so used to messing with her on a regular basis in council meetings, but right now he didn't feel like it at all. _Maybe it's the anesthetics throwing me for a loop._ The spiky haired young adult said.

"Yeah, I guess I can give you everything." Seth said plainly. He noticed many of the people in the room with him had shocked expressions on their faces, and they just kept on looking at him. "What?" Seth asked confused.

"We… we're usually used to you giving some snarky comment or just being difficult." Gardi told him, she was still shocked by him just saying he would do it. Especially when Faylinn asked him to do so.

"You want me to be difficult for you?" Seth asked, a smirk growing on his face. Many people began pleading "no's" and shaking their heads. "Well then, I think we should start from where I met with Sparky yesterday." Seth told them, beginning his explanation of yesterday's events.

* * *

Temle City, it was a unique city to say the least, it was a mixture of a lot of aspects. Temle however, was most notable for being the producer of nearly all of Kurai's metal and industry in the region. A natural river that ran through the city helped in the beginnings to build this industrial city. Though being so industrious came at a price. The city was never really built to house people very well. It may have been known as the 'City of Steel' but it was also known as something much worse. The 'City of the Starving.' Temle's people were sick and very poor. The common folk were always being screwed over by the bigger industry CEOs. They had the city in their back pocket. While the rest of Kurai had been able to progress and stand up for the working man, Temle's progress was always halted by corruption.

In this city where the poor, sick, and starving were common, there was always a beacon of hope for them to look up to. A young adult male, his blonde hair shining in the sun of Temle, almost appearing white. His white and grey outfit standing out, making him easily recognizable. It was Temle's own "Steel Saint." Flint Patterson.

He was currently walking down the sidewalks of Temle's many poor neighborhoods. Stray Pokemon and the homeless lining the streets. Every single one he passed by he handed money. He spent nearly all he ever made battling on helping the poor. He was not the wealthiest of the council members, but he was the most humble. Satisfied with a simple home, and happy enough to give people the hope to the onto the next day and keep fighting to survive. Flint seeing the poor and the homeless like this, and the sick and starving Pokemon always saddened him. It disgusted him seeing these industry leading CEOs not even give a single dollar to these poor folk. They spent it on unnecessary luxuries and expenses, only to make them seem more important and powerful the common man. Flint had been trying to change that for the past three years of his Gym Leader status.

His time spent fighting and providing for the less fortunate, hurt his status in the council. He however, never cared for his position. All that mattered was helping these people. His people. They always hugged, praising him, and saying that he is their hero. The single man who fights for them and always will. That made Flint so happy. Every time he saw a hungry child smile from a simple sandwich he gave them, always brightened his day. Him taking the time to simply give a homeless person a new coat or shoes, made his day. Giving a stray Pokemon fresh water to drink, made his day. Flint had always promised himself to do something that would change Kurai, make it a better place, he believed he was doing that one day at a time.

He did have his detractors and critics, many of them being the richer people of Temle. Saying that Flint merely did this to make himself appear as someone he wasn't. Flint was a naturally good hearted person. Spreading rumors that he was rich and merely felt guilt because he saw how the poor were. That was untrue. Flint came from a simple middle class rural family. In his younger years he always took everything for granted. It was not until he visited Temle on a family trip did Flint begin to change his life, and simply cherish the things he had and began making his progress to change Temle.

Every single dollar he handed out, added up. He would give these people to live for, but today something was off. He felt something was off, something worrisome. Every time he stopped and helped out one of the less fortunate he noticed something in the corner of his eye. A woman, a woman who had been following him for a few blocks now. It wouldn't concern him that much, but there were two things that made him stand on guard. Every block she would get closer to him, and her outfit stood out in the streets. Her white outfit with gold and red trim made her stand out amongst the poorer citizens. He knew she couldn't be from Temle, due to the tanned complexion on her skin, and he knew she wasn't one of the industry CEOs, because they hardly ever left the richer parts of the city.

He had been purposefully leading her away from the crowded streets of these poorer neighborhoods, into someplace more secluded. Heading towards the more dilapidated and older industry area of Temle. Every block he walked past, she got closer, but at least he was leading her away from the streets in case the worst came to be. As he entered into the industrial part of Temle and the crowds disappeared he noticed her pace had picked up, getting closer and closer at a good speed. Flint came to abrupt stop near an abandoned warehouse at what appeared to be an old steel mill.

"You do realize, I've known you've been following me for quite some time." Flint said to the strange woman. He didn't even turn around to speak face to face.

"Well shit, it seems like you actually were paying attention to me. Good. It would've been boring to kill you so easily." The woman told the saint. Kill. She was intending on killing him? Flint immediately turned to face her. The small breeze carrying his large white and gray, flowing a bit. "Oh. So when I mention killing you, you turn around." The woman humorously said. Flint was not laughing at the situation. The awkward silence was killing them. "Jeez, the boss said you were the silent type, but I didn't know you were this silent." She complained, placing a hand on her hip, sticking it out over exaggeratedly. She noticed that Flint had looked down at her hip sway, she smirked devilishly. "So does the 'Steel Saint' see something he likes?" The tanned woman asked. Flint's face immediately hardened in response. "You pure types are the most fun to **screw** with, I'll have **fun playing** with you." The rogue said in a seductive tone.

In one swift movement she took off her large white overcoat, revealing what she was wearing underneath. Flint immediately turned his head away, a large blush forming on his face. He couldn't stop himself from glancing over quickly. She was wearing a what he could say was a white sports bra, it heavily accentuated her… assets. Her boots and gloves were seemingly made of pure gold and glistened in the bright sun. Her lower half was barely covered, by what were very, very, very short, short shots, that hugged her form. It was white with red and gold trim. He found himself trying to suppress a blush. _Okay come on now, she's only trying to screw with you Flint. She's trying to kill you, not sleep with you._ Flints resolve again hardened and found himself looking at the woman dead in the eyes.

"I see you were affected by my little show I did. Well hopefully you can keep your eyes on the fight and not on my body." The tanned woman said. If Flint were to say something he held his tongue. She was a gorgeous woman, her naturally tan skin was stunning in the bright sun. _Come on Flint, focus now._ "I obviously know who you are Flint Patterson, so it's only fair if you know my name. It's Shula Baak." She told him with an exaggerated bow, her ebony black hair cascading over her head. Flint never noticed that she had reached into her shorts and pulled out a Pokeball and chucked it at Flint's head. The impact of the Pokeball on him threw him for a loop, but he quickly recovered and pulled out his own Pokeball. Though before he could release it he noticed the shape of the light forming in front of him it was primate like. He quickly glanced over to Shula and noticed something on her tan skin, a tattoo. The letter 'T'? It was cut off by her short shorts, and travelled… into a… sacred area. "Come on saint. If you want to know what it is, I can give you an up close and personal encounter." She taunted towards him, grabbing the band of her shorts and threatening to pull it down. Luckily for Flint the light of her Pokeball had faded and her Pokemon appeared, and her tattoo made sense. It wasn't a 'T', it was an 'I'. Her Pokemon was an Infernape. _Damn it._ Flint cursed as he gripped onto his Pokeball

* * *

"So let me get this straight. So, you saved Alva from potential danger and led her back to your house where you talked for a bit. Then you went into a clearing deeper into the woods to release these rogue Pokemon in front of other dark types in a test of acceptance." Nelda asked incredulously. She was currently pinching the bridge of her nose trying to process the story so far.

"Yeah that's pretty much it so far." Seth said with a sigh, he was finally able to get himself seated upright. His ribs and chest still hurt, but it was just sore, nothing broken or bruised.

"Quick question." Seth turned his head to the far right of the room, the voice belonged to the newest member of the Kurai Council, Bricriu. "What the hell is a Queenie?" The black haired gym leader asked.

"Queenie is a Zoroark my grandfather had when he was a trainer and the former Gym Leader of Arda. She's also the oldest Pokemon living in the forests and serves as sort of an advisor and guide to the other dark types in the forest." Seth informed to the Poison leader. He noticed Talulla in her human disguise smile at Seth's confidence when he gave his answer.

"Speaking of Zoroarks, where is your Zoroark Seth? She is noticeably absent from your little, defense pile you have going on." The elderly Covey had finally spoken, a small smile of amusement his wrinkled face.

"From what Alva told me, Talulla is running around with Queenie, her mother, trying to keep the forest in check. Those dickheads who attacked me and Alva, messed things up in the forest from what I've heard." Seth replied with a glare, he wasn't angry at Covey. He was angry at the fact he was stuck in this bed and wasn't able to actually help keep the Arda Forest in check.

"Ms. Mollown, is what Mr. Abramson say true?" A gentlemanly voiced inquired. None other than Edric, the Psychic Gym Leader. He simply turned his head to ask the youngest gym leader. She was still sat next to Toski in the two available visitors chairs.

"Yes it's true. Talulla was able to convey the message through illusions she created to tell me what she was doing while Seth was in bed resting." Alva informed. Seth clearly knew it was a story to help cover for Talulla being currently disguised right in front of Kurai's highest authorities' faces.

"Very well then, continue Seth. Please" Nelda asked of her fellow council member.

* * *

To the north of Temla, sat a town amongst high hills and plateuas. Short grass and dirt was a plenty in that region of Kurai. There was something that this region held plenty of, it was buried inside the Earth. The town was located just at the base of the high hills and plateuas, the farther you walked towards the hills and plateaus the more and more mining and drilling companies showed up. All types of people and Pokemon helping to dig into the resource rich region. This was Osgrou Town. Osgrou and Temle had one of the best relationships between one another. Osgrou dug up the raw material, and Temle produced the final product, a win-win for both the town and city. Except for the people of Temle it was not a win for them.

A man in his mid-twenties was currently walking through the part of town that led into all the various mining company headquarters. His bright orange hair and military-esque attire made him stand out greatly amongst the various miners and the few managers and foremen who walked the street currently. It was Rowtag Underwood, the Fire Type Gym Leader of Baire City. He was currently called to Osgrou personally by none other than its own Gym Leader, Hertha Marchand. She had called him personally early yesterday morning to meet him in her offices at the Marchand Towers. Yes, the building was named after her, well more importantly her family. As the Marchands were the largest mining company in Kurai, with Hertha as its current head of the Marchand Mining Company, after her father stepped down for a leave of absence. Rowtag respected Hertha for having the time to balance both running a company and a gym at the same time. Though having a board to help run the company was useful for when she was on Gym Leader or council duties.

As Rowtag entered the building he noticed how clean it was, the cleanliness reminded him of the time he was forced to scrub down an entire barracks for "his shit attitude." Arceus did doing that teach Rowtag a lesson. Rowtag liked to believe his duty in the military helped get rid of his hot headed and quick tempered attitude, but it always came back every now and again. He quickly passed by many of the suits giving him curious and confused glances as he made his way onto one of the various elevators. _To the very top I guess._ Rowtag thought to himself. The ride to the top was quite smooth for how fast it traveled. At the very top of the building was a lone secretary taking calls and working on various files at her desk, it seemed like she was suffering from a work overload, but she handled it quite well. Before he even had a chance to talk to her, she signalled for him to go inside.

When Rowtag did enter the office he noticed how well furnished and organized it was, again reminding him of military life. Sitting at the desk shifting through papers and files on a desktop computer was the head of the company herself, and the one person who got under his skin the most, Hertha Marchand. She noticed he had entered the room and immediately stopped all of her work on whatever she was doing. He always noticed her dark brown eyes, and brown her brown hair that stopped just beneath her shoulder. She was probably the least 'business looking' CEO ever. A simple long tan skirt with an intricate design stopping just short of her knees, but was loose enough to flow and not constrict her leg movement. And a simple short sleeved dark green shirt. _Well she certainly does look very 'earthy.'_ Rowtag observed. She got up from her desk to meet him halfway in the large office. Stuffing his hands Rowtag simply asked, "Okay Hertha, why did you call me out here? If it's to argue then I might as well leave." As soon as he finished his sentence he felt something press against him, and then something press against his face. Her lips smashing against his own and her arms wrapping around to his back, leading her hands to grip his back and pull him in closer. Rowtag took his hands out of his own pockets, placing a hand on the back of her head and neck, quickly taking control of the kiss in turn.

 _That's why I'm here._ Rowtag thought lowly in his mind as he continued to lean forward. Rowtag and Hertha's relationship was a complicated one at the least. The two could not stand one another in a public space, but behind the scenes they had this relationship. It was heavily frowned upon for Kurai Council members to date or be involved in relationships with one another. As it usually led to problems in decision making and the workrate of the council members. Rowtag and Hertha however made it work, they would hate and keep their strained relationship in the public and council eye, behind the scenes they were romantically involved. It was always weird for the both of them to go from hating each other to being in love and doing this. They both couldn't care though, they were yin and yang. They were eventually forced to pull back from their kiss to take a breath. Hertha found herself putting her face in the crook of his neck. He smelt of freshly burnt wood and smoke, it suited him. She knew she couldn't stand if anyone else smelt like that, but for him it was perfect. "If I knew you called me over for this I would've arrived here earlier." Rowtag said to her in an amused and low tone, kissing the back of neck that was exposed to him.

"It wasn't, but this is just something extra to do while you're here." The Ground Gym Leader said to her secret love with a small smile on her face.

"Well if it's to call me in here to do your paperwork, then I might as well walk out that door." Rowtag cheekily told her. She couldn't help but laugh. In private she was so kind and gentle, but in public she was loud and stubborn. The stubborn part still carried over, but it wasn't nearly as bad.

"Trust me, I wish I had less paperwork to do." Hertha said with a heavy sigh, pulling away from Rowtag's embrace. She seemed very troubled.

"Well it must be pretty serious paperwork if you're dreading to even go through it then." The fire haired man said. "Come on talk to me. What's it about, maybe I can help." He told her assuredly.

"It's just some weird Taurosshit going down in the mines, cave ins, aggressive Pokemon, and injuries. I got so many calls and files coming at me so fast I'm busting my ass working to fix this. Plus the trouble of having to balance all this out while working at the Gym and be an effective council member?" Her rambling ended with a trouble grunt and sigh.

"Just a string of bad luck maybe?" Rowtag suggested taking a seat in one of chairs in front of her desk, she looked visibly tired. Bags clearly visible under her eyes. "Listen Hertha, if it's too much shove some of this stuff onto your board. Focus on other things, you look unwell." The flamehead told her concerned.

"If I start pushing these things onto the board, they'll start thinking I can't handle the big decisions and when the company needs their CEO the most, and then I'm out of power." Hertha replied tiredly. "Plus this isn't any string of bad luck, this seems almost deliberate. I don't know why though. Worker strikes? No, then why would they injure their own? Maybe they're that desperate." Hertha continued her ramblings, when something caught Rowtag's vision as he glanced outside the window for a quick second. Two strange looking individuals and their Pokemon aiming at the top of the building.

 _What the hell do they want?_ If Rowtag learned anything in the military is always expect the worse. He was instantly put on guard. _There's no way they'd know anyone important is up here, you'd have to go into the lobby to find out what business this even is._ Rowtag began moving to the edge of his seat, when suddenly his worse fears were met. The Pokemon seemed to launch their attacks onto the building!

"Get down!" Rowtag yelled, diving over the desk and pulling Hertha down out of her seat with him to avoid the attack heading their way. A loud explosion was heard as it made impact with the building, taking a sizable piece out of the office. Part of it was collapsing and or on fire. "Come on!" Rowtag quickly pulled Hertha to her feet and ran out her office door to begin alerting people of the attack. He heard another loud explosion go off. It was so strong this time that it took out the remaining portion of Hertha's building. He immediately grabbed her wrist and began running to the stairwell to escape. _Well, I did expect the worst. I fucking hate that I did._

* * *

Meanwhile on the street the two figures stood standing across the street looking up at the burning office building. The two were accompanied by their assigned Pokemon in tow. "I think we got them Kavi." said the paler of the two figures. 'Kavi' glanced over at his mission partner. He was a lanky looking man, his pale skin made him look sickly. Though his feral grin, sharp nose, and wild eyes made him more psychotic than anything. His hair was another thing altogether. Dark blue and spiked, each spike had a highlight of bright yellow and white on them. The pale man chose to wore a simple sleeveless navy vest accompanied with tattered white and red pants. He had a letter 'C' tattooed onto his right hand to signify his placement. He looked like a complete mess.

"I think you're jumping to conclusions Berach. We'll just have to double check." Kavi said to his partner. 'Berach' took his time to glance over to his partner. Kavi was taller than Berach, but not by much. Kavi's skin contrasted heavily to Berach. Kavi was born with dark skin, with a tint of maroon in it. Kavi's dark black hair was the only thing that could make them somewhat similar. Kavi's get up was an emerald long sleeved shirt, and emerald baggy pants, but were outlined with a white and gold trim. They were complete opposites. Kavi's 'S' tattoo was placed along his next horizontally, making it look like a half infinite symbol. The two were vastly different, whilst Berach was wild and chaotic, Kavi was seemingly refined and collected. They never truly got along on their missions, but they produced results and their glorious leader liked that they did produce results.

"Oh come on now Kavi, you're making me yearn to go and actually slaughter them. Better keep me on a leash or I'll go and start hurting the innocents next." Berach said to his partner in crime ending his sentence with a low rumbling laugh. Kavi was always off put by Berach's lust for blood, but maybe that had to do with the Pokemon in which he was attached to. Carvanha. While Kavi was tied to Simisage, a much more collected and respectful Pokemon. "Come on Carvanha, let's go hunting for some fresh blood." With that Berach took off across the street into Marchand Towers. Kavi could only grunt in frustration. _That psychotic bastard is going to get us in trouble._

* * *

"So then these Dark type Pokemon apparently ended up being super aggressive and began attacking the other Pokemon in the clearing. Then this strange man attacked you with a Bibarel, was about to kill you until the rest of your team showed up. Finally you and Alva were able to defeat him and… subdue him." Nelda said to herself, reciting the story told so far by Seth.

"Yeah, that's basically it so far." The blonde haired dark leader said to Kurai's champion.

"I find it very hard to believe that a Bibarel was able to actually give you trouble, maybe you're just not cut out to be Gym Leader material there Abramson." Seth turned his head slowly to glare at the smirking Edlin Cadwallader, who was smirking at the injured Seth. Seth couldn't help but flash a small feral grin.

"My left arm may be practically F.U.B.A.R'd, but that doesn't mean I can't walk over there and still kick your ass Edlin. Besides you weren't there, so you might as well listen to what I have to say. I was just as surprised that goofy Pokemon was able to launch me across the clearing." Seth told the Water Noble. Before either of them could continue a verbal squabble, Gardi inserted herself into the conversation.

"Seth, there's still one thing I don't understand. You said he was able to give verbal commands to his Pokemon, but the Pokemon was somehow able to attack with specific attack on its own. However, when we destroyed his tattoo located on his arm, it seemingly vanished and the Bibarel ran off in fear." Seth told the Spectral Gym Leader.

"Well it appears that tattoos have something to do with the connection between the trainer and his or her Pokemon." The elderly Covey reasoned. "Please Seth, continue." He said with a smile.

* * *

Carr was currently resting in his specified area of the Elite Four Complex. He was meditating with his long time companion and strongest Pokemon, his Lucario. Carr was on break after taking on three scheduled opponents in the Elite Four Challenge. It was an arduous task, but someone had to volunteer to stay behind to let these trainers have a chance at proving themselves. Luckily for his Pokemon though they were trained in endurance and stamina, their raw strength was natural and only needed to be honed a bit. In a fight Carr would outlast a strong opponent letting them waste their energy and strength before finishing them off. Carr's section of the Complex was layered with a rocky terrain and rolling grass fields, switching behind serene and peaceful training conditions in the grassfields, to harsh and intense training conditions in the rocky wastes.

Carr simply glanced out with a singular eye to see the where the Elite Four Complex was located, Cial City. Cial was built mainly for the Elite Four challenges and the tournaments that ran year round. Cial was located in the center of the Kurai region to make it easier for all those willing to compete to reach the city. In Carr's mind he always thought it was counter intuitive to make the location of a city built on a challenge to be so easily found, but that was his opinion. Something felt off, he knew something was wrong. He noticed his Lucario's form was tense and constricted not free flowing and calm. That dangerous feeling couldn't have come sooner when he noticed the sun was blacked out behind him, looking upward the sun tanned man looked skyward and saw something that shocked him. A flying Pokemon, large enough to blackout the sun. It's wings were large and red, green gracing the tips, with the white in between the red and green. Yellow bright tail feathers that matched the sun and a beautiful bright yellow crest. Carr was in awe. A rainbow like aura shone around the flying type Pokemon, as the sun beat down on its feathers.

"H-Ho-oh…." Carr mumbled under his breath as he and his Lucario looked up in awe. It was the legendary Ho-oh, it couldn't be anything else. No other Pokemon in history matched its exact description.

"I can see even the mighty and stoic Carr Rush can be brought speechless before the might of Ho-oh." A voice said behind him. It was a man clad in what he describe in a robe. It looked like it was modeled after the design and concept that was the beauty of Ho-oh. His hair even curling like the crest of Ho-oh. "A pleasure to meet you Carr Rush, though this will be the only time we shall meet I'm afraid." The man said calmly. He even radiated a rainbow like aura off of himself. "But first, before you meet your end let me show you something." The man pulled of his robe to the side to reveal a tattoo on his left pec, a tattoo of an 'H' was imprinted on him. Though there was something below it. A stylized 'E' was located to the lower right of the 'H'. "Now then Ho-oh, Sacred Fire." The stranger said calmly. As soon as Carr turned himself he saw the Rainbow Pokemon unleash an incredible burst of fire. If it wasn't so deadly, Carr would admire it's natural beauty. It flashed a variety of different colors; switching between reds, oranges, purples, and blues. Carr felt the heat from the blast and watched as it got closer to him.

 _Damn it... Hopefully this works…_ The last thing the stranger in the robes saw was Carr being engulfed by the flames of his Ho-oh's fire. "Oh, how disappointing. The strongest Elite Four member, killed in a single attack. What a bother." The stranger said sighing as he watched the fire spread across the grass and destroyed the earth in front of him.

* * *

"Then finally, after defeating this Irving character. You were ambushed by a man with a tattoo with a 'Y' on his face and his partner launched a Thunderbolt intended to strike Alva, but you intercepted it with your left arm. Then they finally fled after your Pokemon began to act aggressively towards them. Your Mightyena even biting down on the woman's leg." Nelda said trying to understand the end of the story.

"Yeah, that's basically the story. It's insane I know, but trust me for once. It's true." Seth said leaning his back against his hospital bed. "That guy with the 'Y' tattoo though, there was something off about him. Something very off." Seth said worriedly. "It's like how when you guys talk shit behind my back and say I have this scary and terrifying and dark aura around me. This guy had it." Seth told them. "I remember seeing this beast with large wings forming in the shadows of the forest. It got to me, it made my Pokemon freeze in fear, it was something I never want to see again. Luckily when I knocked that Thunderbolt out of the way that image thankfully disappeared." Seth told the room of council members.

"Now here you are with a busted freaking arm for your troubles." Petey, the Rock Leader said. Everyone was still trying to make sense of everything, until Dunmire the council's advisor ran in, exhausted panting and looking terrified.

"Dunmire, what's wrong you look like you've seen death itself." Kerri asked concerned.

Through gasp and pants he spoke. "Temle… warehouses on fire… Osgrou… Marchand Tower blowing up… Elite Four Complex… under attack." He said tired. Many eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

"Mr. Dunmire this is now time for jokes, please. You are certain this is true?" Faylinn asked with concern in her eyes as well.

"All true… got off the phone… with agents in the city… all under attack… strange people with tattoos." Dunmire spoke. Strange people with tattoos attacking those location.

"Oh shit, they're after Rowtag and Hertha, Flint, and Carr. They ambushed them while we were here in Arda." Toski yelled from her side of the room. All the rest of the council could do was drink in what was happening. Whilst across Kurai three locations were under attack by these strangers. Why? Why was this happening, what was going on? The older members of the council and experienced knew a simply what was going on. War. War had been declared upon them. They had made themselves known and were now actively seeking the council out. All they could do now was hope that the other council members could hold out until help came.

* * *

 **A/N: Huzzah! Another chapter done. A lot of shit goes down in this chapter. Character description, development, a little bit of humor mixed in between to break things up a bit. As of writing this little after the chapter write up, this chapter alone was over 10 pages. So a little pat on the back for me, plus I got it done quite quickly.**

 **So yeah, thanks for reading this chapter. Again enjoy yourselves.**

 **Review, Follow, Favorite, critique my shitty writing, or make fun of me. Either way I'm glad you've enjoyed reading my story. For something I did on a random weekend with a strange concept. I'm still amazed I've gotten this far. So thank you for enjoy a randomized little thing I did into something comparatively a lot bigger. Again thank you for reading.**

 **Shout out to Zero Lunar who keeps on reading the story. Stay strong friendo.**


	10. Chapter X: Kurai Meets Arda

**Chapter 10: Kurai Meets Arda**

" _Oh shit, they're after Rowtag and Hertha, Flint, and Carr. They ambushed them while we were here in Arda." Toski yelled from her side of the room. All the rest of the council could do was drink in what was happening. Whilst across Kurai three locations were under attack by these strangers. Why? Why was this happening, what was going on? The older members of the council and experienced knew a simply what was going on. War. War had been declared upon them. They had made themselves known and were now actively seeking the council out. All they could do now was hope that the other council members could hold out until help came._

* * *

The hospital room was quiet. No one really knew what to say in this situation. What do you really say after you discover your colleagues are being ambushed and attacked; and you can't make it to them in time. All anyone could do was stay silent for a bit. The silence was killing all of them, each one of them knew it. It wasn't until Seth spoke out that the hospital room began to stir again.

"Hey Alva." Seth called out, catching her attention quickly. She raised her head and their eyes made contact. "That Irving guy, he's still in the holding cell right?" Seth questioned. It was like a sudden realization hit Alva and the rest of the council members inside the hospital room. "If he's still there, and if its been a day or so, then you should be all clear then." Seth told her.

"You mean, we need to interrogate him?" Alva asked, she was glad they were going to get information out of Irving now that he was imprisoned. The idea of interrogation gave Alva a bad feeling.

"It's the only real lead we have right now, and thankfully he right here and Arda." Nelda stated. She marched towards the door, "Council of Kurai, we have a little rebel to garner information out of." Nelda commanded. She noticed however Seth trying to get out of his hospital bed. He was breathing hard and trying to somehow keep his arm stable. She was about to march over there and order him to stay put, but she was beat to the punch by a certain red haired girl.

"OW! What the hell Talia!? My ribs still hurt and thank Arceus my arm is being held in place and has this sweet medicine running through me!" Seth yelled at the red haired girl who was currently keeping him in the bed, pinning his right arm down and pushing down on his chest. He noticed her head was down, her crimson hair covering her eyes in the shadow. She was clearly upset. "Talia, I need to go help them." Seth stated, again she pushed him back down. All everyone could do was watch.

She eventually spoke up. "Everyone please leave, head to the prison cell he's held in and get anything out of him." She said. Her voice was unnaturally solemn. "That includes you five." She said referring to Seth's other Pokemon, Angel was about to hesitate, until the Absol caught a glimpse of the red haired beauties eye. The rest of the council eventually made their way out, sans Alva who waited for the other council members left the room.

"Well… get well Seth, stay safe Talulla." Alva said to Talulla and Seth. As soon as Alva left. Seth's other Pokemon followed suit closely behind her. Angel was the last one left at the door to leave, glancing back over her shoulders to look at Talulla and Seth. Talulla gave a simple nod to Angel, before the female Absol left with the rest of Seth's Pokemon, leaving the both of them alone in the hospital room. Talulla currently pinning Seth, and Seth trying to understand her emotions.

"Hey… Talulla, what's up?" Seth asked his long time friend. She didn't respond right away. What he noticed was the static that was appearing on her. In brief flashes, showing the Zoroark that had disguised herself. He was so focused on her failing illusion that he hadn't noticed the wet feeling form on his chest. _She's crying, please don't Talulla._ Seth thought worriedly. Talulla was always a hard one to get to crack, very rarely did she ever show weakness, but when she did it showed it greatly. He could hear the shortening of her breath and small sobs forming, it broke his damned heart. With his good arm he reached out to her, grabbing at her red locks. In a slow motion, he seemingly pulled away the illusion. No longer was her face concealed by the shadow casted by her illusion's hair. He saw plain as day her crying. Seth reached up with his right arm and wrapped it around her, pulling the crying Zoroark closer to him, until her face was buried in his chest. He didn't want to speak, he would wait for her.

"P-please, stay, here." Talulla said to him. Her sobbing growing harder as she spoke to him. It hurt him looking at her like this, it was never like his strong Talulla to cry. "D-don't run off, and play the hero." She cried again, all he could do was grip tighter, holding her closer. "I-I-I-I…." Her voice finally broke and any semblance of her holding back had disappeared and her tears fell freely and her sobs were loud. All Seth could do right now was hold her close, running his right hand across the back of her head, feeling the softness of her fur, the structure of her narrow skull, and the easily tangible ears.

"Talulla, I'm fine honestly." Seth told her, stroking her head still. "All I need is some rest, and I'll be back out there. I'm fine, hon-" She cut him off with a loud sob. He was instantly taken back.

"You're not fine Seth." She said weakly, tears still streaming. "Look at your arm." She told him, pointing at the left arm, encased in metal, tubes, and bandages. "You're not fine!" She said in a loud cry. "You can't feel in your left arm anymore!" She yelled again. Seth could only listen to her as she continued to let out her emotions.

"Talulla it's not your fault." Seth told her trying to console her.

"But it is! I could've moved faster, listened to Alva sooner, a-anything!" Talulla cried to her master. "A-anything… now you can't feel in your left arm anymore. I'm so sorry." She said weakly burying her face into his chest. He could only continue to try and comfort her.

"I promise, I'll be fine." Seth told her assuredly.

"But you won't, look at what they did to you Seth. Who knows how strong the rest of them are. If he was the weakest one, then there's no way in telling what the strongest can do to you." The saddened Zoroark, told her spiky haired master. She squeezed him tighter, hoping it'd make her feel more comfortable. All he could do was continue to comfort her, waiting for her to calm down.

It seemed as though an eternity passed between the two, when really it had only been a few minutes. Seth decided to finally speak up. "Hey Talulla." Seth called, he noticed her ear twitch in response to her name. She was listening. "Remember that promise I made to you, so long ago?" The dark gym leader asked.

"Yes." She replied weakly, she was still recovering, she wasn't crying anymore, but hiccups from crying had taken hold. "Seth what does that have to do with now though?" The Zoroark asked.

"It has to do with everything happening now. When I first met you, you were the cutest looking creature ever." Seth said simply to her. Thankfully for the female Zoroark laying on him, her head was on his chest. "I remember when I first gave you your name, Talulla, it meant 'princess'. It was appropriate as you were Queenie's daughter." He said smiling down at her. "When you first began speaking in short phrases I made a promise to you. 'A prince must always protect his princess'." Seth said still smiling down at her. Talulla finally rose her head, there was a tint of red on her face. "It doesn't matter if I was young when I made it, I still mean it to this day." Seth reassured her.

"Seth, I'm no princess, besides you know I hate when you call me that." The Zoroark told her master. She tried to make an angry face, but she couldn't. Her face was simply shy and nervous.

"Well, then I'll just have to change the phrasing a bit then." Seth told his most trusted Pokemon. "A king must protect his queen." Seth restated, placing his head on top of her raised one, before pulling her back down. He held a sincere smile, he meant every word. Talulla couldn't help but blush a bit, and be shy at his words. She placed her head into the crook of his neck, before falling asleep in his arm. Her arms still wrapped around him, just to insure he didn't run away. Seth found sleep shortly after.

* * *

Nelda led the rest of the Kurai's Council through the streets of Arda, marching to Arda' police station where one of the mysterious organizations members had been captured and brought in by Alva. As the group marched through Arda they made some of the same observations Alva made when she first arrived with Seth. The tallest building was no higher than five stories, all the roads and houses were built around the great trees, and it simply amazed them that just beyond the lights of the town they could see the various Pokemon wandering through the forest. For many like Sedgewick, Covey, and Toski it reminded them much like their small communities and towns back where their gyms were. They would've enjoyed it here more had it not been the creepy feeling the dark types emitted. They made note that the people here were so carefree and relaxed not even affected by the dark type influence. Nelda gave a questioning glance over to Gardi and Edric, but they couldn't respond.

When they entered the police station containing Irving, they noted how much more laid back and quaint it felt. Mainly those who lived in the larger cities that is. A man in his mid forties noticed the group at the entrance to the police station, immediately recognizing them. "Ah, Ms. Griffin," he called to Nelda, "I did not expect you to actually come here so soon. I heard you and the rest of Kurai's Leaders and Elite Four were coming to visit Seth on the account of what happened. Oh, by the way how is he?" The sheriff asked the Ice Queen of Kurai.

"From what the doctors have said Seth will keep his arm, his bones and muscles will recover, but he won't be able to feel anything in his left arm anymore." Nelda stated factually. She noticed the sheriff's expression fall from the news. "The Thunderbolt he knocked away had too much kick in it and basically fried his nervous system in his left arm." She stated. Again the sheriff looked solemn, hurt even.

"Well that's a shame, but at least he's alright. Seth does so much for this town. He puts his heart and soul into this place, going as far as helping us out or the construction crews, plus that doesn't account for the sanctuary runs. Poor kid doesn't ask for anything in return." The sheriff said to the group. His expression immediately rose again. "I'm guessing you're here to see the prisoner though?" He asked Nelda.

It was all so strange to them, they perceived Seth as this crazy wild psycho, and just associated his actions to the rest of the town. Maybe they were wrong? But what about what they were taught in school, about the influence of dark types on one's mind and the severe effects? Were those wrong as well?

"Yes we're here to see this Irving fellow. Is there anything we should know before we see him?" The blonde older sister of the Griffins asked. The sheriff pondered for a bit before snapping his finger remembering something.

"There was, the poor boy was paralyzed by fear or something. He went rambling on about sharp claws, fire, ice, and sharp fangs in the darkness. Didn't make too much sense to me, but maybe it does to you." The sheriff said to the group. The Kurai Council began glancing at one another. Just one second they were considering they were wrong about Seth and the next thing they learn he scarred his assailant to near paralyzation. "Well I guess you better follow me then." The Sheriff said to the group.

Before he led them, Nelda signalled him to wait. She needed to reorganize the groups carefully in this situation. "So here's the plan, we're not sure or not if those assassins who attacked might return with backup. So some of us will need to patrol Arda just incase of anything else, the rest of us will get whatever information we can out of this Irving." Nelda told the group. "Keri I want you to be the head of the patrol group with Sedgewick, Covey, Toski, Petey, and Bricriu." Nelda commanded. Keri gave a simple smile and an over exaggerated salute before leading her group outside into Arda. Nelda looked back to see George, Faylinn, Edric, Gardi, Edlin, and Alva left in the group. "That leaves us to get whatever information we can out our esteemed guest of honor in his little cell." Nelda stated icily before following the sheriff, the rest of her group following closely behind her.

* * *

Keri led her group outside of the police station. She always wondered why Nelda would want her to lead these separate group tasks or be sent away while she talked with the same group of council members over and over again, but it could've all been in her mind she thought usually. Keri was never the one to try and let a negative thought get to her and simply smiled as she led the group a bit, before being stopped by Sedgewick.

"Ms. Weekes, wouldn't it be better if we were to split up, we could cover more ground that way and prevent any possible counter-attacks that way." Sedgewick suggested to Keri, besides Rowtag, Sedgewick was another one of the more military minded members of Kurai. Keri could only help but smile at his suggestion. He rose an obviously confused eyebrow in response to her smile.

"Well that does sound like a good idea, however you have to promise me you'll enjoy some of the sights here while in town." Keri said bringing out a closed fist and extended pinkie finger. Sedgewick couldn't help but raise his eyebrow further. _How is this woman part of the Elite Four again?_ Sedgewick thought to himself. He could only go along with what Keri was doing, and extended his own pinkie finger and made a 'pinkie promise' with her. Before walking off to one of the entrances to the town. "That goes for the rest of you to." She told them, pointing at the rest of the group of people chosen to guard the town. "I want you to enjoy the town while we're here."

"Keri, I mean enjoying the town and all would be great, but what if you… we're actually attacked?" Bricriu asked her, rubbing one of his arms nervously.

"I highly doubt we will Bricriu, besides I heard this town has quite the collection of cute girls to pick up." Keri told the poison leader with a wink. His face immediately turned into a smile and ran in a nonchalant direction into the town. The Sky Princess could only giggle at his antics. Eventually the rest of the members of her little defense group split off into their own separate ways to defend the town and enjoy the sights at the same time.

Sedgewick found himself protecting one of the roads that led in the town, he inconspicuously took a seat on the bench and watched and waited. It still surprised him to see Pokemon so close to a human settlement, even seeing some wild Pokemon taking a few steps into the town before running back out into the forest. It was an interesting town to say the least, he never personally believed in the whole 'dark types are evil' nonsense that most of Kurai seemed to believe in, but maybe that was his knightly instincts telling him to protect the innocent.

Keri on her end had found a nice little market the 'defend and protect' from any types of attacks, examining the unique trinkets and designs that could be found here in Arda. She herself never really believed in the whole 'dark type influence' thing, she found it hard to believe that these people were 'savages' and 'monsters'. Maybe it was her carefree and loving spirit that aided her on that end.

Bricriu was currently stationed around what could be considered the town square. He had less than stellar luck trying to pick up the girls of Arda, unlike most girls he tried smooth talking, these girls were pretty intimidating. The look in their eyes was something else to Bricriu, though he was still trying to get over the fact he had gotten rejected by girls all the way out in what was considered the 'boonies' of Kurai.

Petey and Covey had found a nice little pastry shop in town as well, the atmosphere only helped ease the two's minds as they ate. Covey always enjoyed the company of Kurai's Council, he was the oldest of the council. He was old enough to remember Corey, Seth's grandfather, and Faylinn's mother holding their positions in the council. Though he was much younger back then. Many in Kurai sought him out for advice and guidance due to his age and experience in his position.

Toski was busy humming to herself and wondering the streets of Arda. She was a little uneasy wondering the streets for a bit, but later found herself getting over it. She put her hands in her pockets and noticed her phone was missing. She began searching the streets for where she may have left it. It then dawned on it, that maybe it fell out of her pocket back at the hospital in Seth's room, she began racing off towards the hospital.

* * *

On the other side of town in the police station Nelda's group was currently busy with getting information out of Seth's would be killer, Irving. Alva however was left to wait outside in a waiting room, and not in the actual interrogation room itself. She was even wondering why she was brought with this group in the first place. Nelda walked out of the interrogation room and out into the waiting room, taking a seat next to Nelda.

"So Alva," Nelda said catching the young gym leader's attention, "did you ever notice anything off about Seth while you were delivering the violent Pokemon?" Nelda asked the tanned gym leader.

"Uh, no. No, not really. He seemed pretty jokey and happy, and normal when I was dropping off the Pokemon a couple days ago." Alva told the Ice Queen of Kurai. "Why?" The Sparky gym leader asked the older champion.

"No reason, just making sure you were okay." Nelda told her while patting her shoulder. She took a few more seconds to sit on the chair next to Alva, before getting up and heading back into the interrogation room. The Irving fellow's brown hair was out of place, bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, he had bandages over his body. To put it blunt he looked like shit. Nelda sat down at the table across from Irving, Edlin, Edric, Gardi, and George in corners around the world.

"I'll ask you again Irving what did you want with Seth and what was your connection to those violent Pokemon?" Nelda asked the hurt man sternly.

"I have no idea what was with those violent Pokemon, that wasn't my doing. I was surprised to see them there." Irving told the champion, he couldn't help but glance around the room, looking at the other council members in the room. "As for your crazy psycho friend, we were just told to eliminate him. I was doing what I was ordered to do. That's all." Irving said tiredly. He was getting bored of these questions being asked.

"When you referred to Seth, you said he was a 'crazy psycho', why is that?" The purple haired Gardi asked, her charms and tokens hanging from her body. She was still on the case about the influence of the dark type Pokemon on Seth's mind. This could help lead her onto something more.

"You heard me, that psycho left me to be attacked by his Pokemon." Irving said angrily. "All these Arceus damned cuts, burns, and frost marks are his doing." Irving told the Ghost type gym leader. "Please don't bring him back here! Please!" Irving stated nervously now, he was having flashbacks to the experience he had. All the attacks, the cuts, the burns, the biting, it was all so vivid.

The rest of Kurai's council in the room couldn't help but glance at one another at this revelation. They had been wondering why he was so hurt, and he just flat out told them. "We won't bring him in as long as you answer our questions." The gentlemanly voice of Edric said from his corner of the interrogation room. Irving could only nod his head shakily.

"Now then, who exactly do you work for? Name? Place? The meaning of those tattoos on your body?" Nelda asked leaning forward a bit.

"I worked for a group of people, I didn't know their names or did I really know their faces. I was a new guy. All I knew them by was their tattoos. I don't know exactly where they are, they came to me, I never went to them. They only gave me their name one time. Legion Twenty Six. That's all I know. There were only two people in the organization I knew, it was the 'J' and the 'Y'." Irving informed the group. "So can I head home now?" Irving asked hoping to get out here.

"If by home, you mean by jail cell then yes." Edlin said from his corner, the Water type gym leader was busy putting his hand through his long brown hair.

"There is one more thing though. Seth and Alva both mentioned you had a Bibarel and you were able to give it non verbal commands, how?" It was Faylinn's time to speak. Irving looked at her like she was insane.

"Give commands to a Pokemon without speaking to it? What do you think I'm crazy or something, I know you have to give it a verbal command, I'm no psychic. Plus I vaguely even remember having a Bibarel. Why was I given a Bibarel?" Irving said rambling off to the council members in the room. Clearly seeing they were not going to get anymore information out of Irving the group in the room left the interrogation room, informing the guard they were done. Irving was still pondering why he was given a Bibarel.

"Well at least we got something out of him." Nelda stated matter of factly. They had made progress, but it was very little progress.

"Indeed we did, I will use what he said about Seth to continue my research on his mental health." Gardi said out loud. The group who was currently outside of the interrogation room looked at her incredulously.

"Gardi, I think we have more things to worry about right now then Seth possibly being insane. We are dealing with a group of rogues trying to murder us if you haven't noticed." George told her. Many of them agreed, that Seth's status was to be put on the back burner whilst they were busy with this Legion Twenty Six organization.

"But Nelda, ordered me to follow up on this. She told me that this was the top case and he still could very well be a threat to us." Gardi insisted to the group.

"I don't think you remember him being hospitalized and bound to stay in a bed until he recovers." Faylinn said to the Spectral Envoy, not even looking at the older girl.

"He still could be a threat, you don't understand dark type influence is a dangerous thing. He could be a threat to all of us." Gardi persisted in trying to convince the group that Seth was still the biggest threat.

"Gardi, enough. As Champion of Kurai I order you to end your pursuits. Besides if he hasn't gone insane by this point in his life then I highly doubt he will. You are tasked with the defense of Kurai, just as the rest of us are." Nelda commanded to the ghostly girl, she was about to argue again. "End of discussion. Now come along, we have fellow council members under attack and they need our assistance." Nelda told her group as she began walking out of the police station. They grabbed Alva along the way as she had wandered off to find food in the police station, a young girl can work up an appetite.

* * *

Toski was currently running up the stairs of the Arda hospital towards Seth's room. She eventually made it to the room he was currently placed in. As she reached for the doorknob all she could think was, _Please be asleep, Please be asleep, Please be asleep._ She didn't want to have to deal with Seth being awake. When she opened the door she noticed the lights were off in his room, the nurses must have found him passed out and shut them off. Toski began to tiptoe her way into the room, towards where she was sitting. She immediately froze when she the door closed behind her and heard the sound of ruffling sheets. After what seemed like waiting for an eternity she finally began to sneak her way across the room. She picked up her phone which was in the chair she was sat in when the meeting in Seth's hospital room took place. When she began to make her way out, she noticed something odd about his bed. She could see a long red ponytail sticking out of the sheets. She immediately began blushing. _Well, I guess Seth and Talia are more than just 'friends'._ Toski thought nervously as she slowly made her way out of the hospital room. When she opened the door, she immediately began to book it out down the hall and out of the hospital. _Arceus that was the most intense moment of my life._ The Hive Mother thought.

* * *

Back in Seth's bed he was laying there, he had seen Toski 'sneak' in and watched her cautiously through the slit of one eye. He noticed she glanced at the bed and knew something was off, before he noticed her blushing and leaving much faster than before hand. Seth saw that a red ponytail was sticking out, _Well hopefully she just assumes it was Talia._ He thought, as if on cue a narrow dark grey head with long red hair, sharp pointy ears, and a flushed face poked out from under the sheets. Seth was getting a bit embarrassed as well. "Too close." He stated simply with a bit of a laugh, before stroking Talulla's head. _Arceus today was weird._

* * *

 **A/N: Lookie, lookie here. Another chapter done. A long one too. I surprised myself I was able to actually write all of this. I was going to originally have it switch between the events of Arda and the rest of Kurai, but just seeing the length of the events of Arda alone. It's something else.**

 **Shout out to Zero Lunar, that homie is keeping really real. Thanks for the reviews man.**

 **Also shout out to the people reading in Barbados, really surprised me that people in Barbados are reading this.**

 **Don't forget to you know make fun of me, insult me, or you know give me some criticism as well.**

 **Also Favorite, Follow, Review, and all of that other good shit. Thanks again for reading my story.**


	11. Chapter XI: Fight For Your Life

**Chapter 11: Fight For Your Life**

 _The letter 'T'? It was cut off by her short shorts, and travelled… into a… sacred area. "Come on saint. If you want to know what it is, I can give you an up close and personal encounter." She taunted towards him, grabbing the band of her shorts and threatening to pull it down. Luckily for Flint the light of her Pokeball had faded and her Pokemon appeared, and her tattoo made sense. It wasn't a 'T', it was an 'I'. Her Pokemon was an Infernape. Damn it. Flint cursed as he gripped onto his Pokeball_

* * *

Flint's grip was never as hard as it was before. His hand had grabbed onto a random Pokeball out of fear. In front of him stood a monkey, hunched over slightly, and easily reaching his shoulders and its master's shoulders. It's hair, if you could call it that, was a constantly barrage of red and yellow flames, with a hint of orange. Parts of its dark orange body were sections of white hair around its head, chest, and the area from its knees to feet. It also had strange blue hands and feet; the most impressive thing was the gold pieces of armor that seemingly hung in place on the Pokemon. An Infernape. Behind the Pokemon stood its master, Shuula Baak, a tanned woman with long ebony hair. Her outfit matching the Pokemon she commanded, and was very revealing, luckily it covered her most sacred of areas. "What's the matter now 'little ol' saint'? You scared of me?" Shuula said tauntingly.

Her taunting had gotten to Flint. She knew she held the advantage, and it was her tone and attitude that was just rubbing it in. Flint had a limited options, all of them were very poor in his perception. He could fight her and hope for the best, but she held the advantage over him greatly. He could try and run, but simply looking at her and the Infernape, knew there was no chance in out running them. The last one was seemingly the best option out of all of them. He could run and fight at the same time, but the fighting could possibly put others in danger if he ran and fought. In a quick motion Flint made up his mind. He grabbed the Pokeball from his belt and threw it in front of him. A large metallic bird and adorned with red metallic feathers joined his side. It was Skarmory. It gave out a metallic and echoing cry as it saw the Infernape in front of it.

"Very smart of you." Shula said tauntingly towards Flint. "You chose not to throw out your strongest Pokemon, but chose the one that would stand the best chance." She finished leaning forward a bit, she had a strange habit of flaunting her body in her skimpy outfit in attempts to distract Flint. She was doing a good job of annoying him, but the distraction part was falling flat.

Shula could only look and notice Flint's deadpan stare. "Arceus kid, you're boring. You're so stiff and serious all them time." Flint noticed she began to walk towards him, like a predator would its prey. "Come over here, and I'll loosen you up." She said licking her lips.

Flint could only stared wide eyed at her words. His thought process could be summed up in a single phrase. _Bad touch, bad touch, bad, touch, bad touch!_ Flint thought as he leaned back a bit. Flint was fearful at this point, the part of him dying worried him, it was what she would do before she killed him that scared him. "Skarmory, Air Slash!" He commanded his ironed winged Pokemon. He watched as it gave a screech and slashed the air with one of its iron wings creating a thin beam of energy at high speeds to cut the Infernape walking alongside its trainer. However, the Air Slash never even made contact with the Infernape as it dodged the attack. The flames on the back of its heads seemed to increase in speed and ferocity. _Okay, I pissed it off… not good._ Flint thought as he tried to think of a way to beat this Pokemon.

"You know for a Gym Leader, you're not particularly smart. I mean throwing a Flying type attack at a Fighting type? Pretty stupid in all cases. Now you've made little 'Infernie' here mad." Shula again taunted at him. "Let's see how tough your Skarmory really is."

In a burst of flames the Infernape had launched itself at the Skarmory that was standing in front of Flint, in a defensive position. The fire surrounding the Infernape was bright orange, nearly white. _Oh shit! Flare Blitz!_ Flint thought shocked. "Skarmory, Fly!" Flint commanded as he shouted at his Steel-type. The Skarmory immediately shot up into the air, and Flint smartly chose to reposition himself away. Flint watched as the Infernape barreled past him, leaving fire on the pavement below. He watched as the Infernape crashed into the abandoned warehouse that shadowed Flint when he initially faced Shula. Then… it happened, Flint was knocked back by a large force, falling flat on his back, groaning in pain. He saw his Skarmory fall out of the sky and hit the ground with a hard 'clunk'. After Flint regained his senses, he saw what was previously the warehouse. It was up in smoke, a large fire spewing out of it, threatening to jump to the next abandoned building. In the fire and smoke, Flint could make out the form of the Infernape, it was looking dead at him. _Shit! Not good, not good all!_ Flint worriedly thought. He saw Shula begin to walk towards his position.

"Well it's a good thing you dodged 'my little saint' or else you would've been burned to ash. Can't have that happening, won't be able to play with you." Shula told the blonde haired saint. She was both seductive and menacing at the same time. In a split moment Flint did the only thing he knew he could do, to not only save himself, but the innocent civilians of the city.

"RUN!" Flint yelled as he scrambled to his feet. His Skarmory following closely behind him. Flint sprinted farther into the abandoned and decaying section of the industrial district, hoping he could make it to a heavier area where he could hide out, and escape Shula.

Shula meanwhile was left shocked and confused at her 'saint' fleeing the fight. She would've thought he'd stay around to fight her some more before fleeing the fight. Her confusion and shock quickly turned to irritation and rage. She felt herself grinding her teeth. Then she erupted.

"COME BACK HERE YOU SPINELESS RATTATA!" Shula screamed as she watched Flint sprint away from the battleground. She immediately began to chase after him as fast as she could, her Infernape running right beside her.

* * *

" _Oh come on now Kavi, you're making me yearn to go and actually slaughter them. Better keep me on a leash or I'll go and start hurting the innocents next." Berach said to his partner in crime ending his sentence with a low rumbling laugh. Kavi was always off put by Berach's lust for blood, but maybe that had to do with the Pokemon in which he was attached to. Carvanha. While Kavi was tied to Simisage, a much more collected and respectful Pokemon. "Come on Carvanha, let's go hunting for some fresh blood." With that Berach took off across the street into Marchand Towers. Kavi could only grunt in frustration. That psychotic bastard is going to get us in trouble_

* * *

A certain flame haired Gym Leader was busy dragging along his earthen haired Gym Leader colleague and also secret lover. Rowtag was busy leading Hertha from floor to floor and helping her aid people to escape the building. Rowtag mentally thanked himself for remembering some of the drills used in the Kurai military, as he used them to help organize and move people out of the building. They were currently on the third floor still helping people escape from the building. Hertha's wrist still in Rowtag's grip. Rowtag continued to scan as the last bit of the employees filed down the flight of stairs. He began to run and check each room, before moving onto the next. As he turned the corner and ran down a hallway with Hertha in tow, he was blindsided.

A sickly pale figure had snuck up on Rowtag, busting through the wall and pouncing on him. Hertha got a good look of the man; pale skin, unhealthy skinny, crazy spiked blue hair, with yellow tips, and a feral grin that put Seth's to shame. He contrasted sharply with Rowtag's complexion.

She watched as the two wrestled and punched one another. Though Rowtag quickly won out. He was able to put the pale and psychotic looking man in a chokehold before tossing him back through the wall and breaking it again.

"Hey Rowtag! These walls aren't cheap you know!" Hertha yelled at her significant other. He gave her a blank look, she returned with an irritated facial expression. In dangerous situations they argued and fought.

Rowtag's attention was quickly brought back to the man he'd thrown through wall. He could see his crazy eyes, through the dust and drywall that was floating through the air. He noticed his sleeveless navy vest had been torn a bit. His tattered white and red pants already taking more unnecessary damage. This man for all tense and purposes, looked like a psycho. The pale figure made his way back through the hole in the wall. Rowtag and Hertha had soon the blood dripping from the side of his head, most likely due to going head first into the wall. Though the pain and blood seemingly didn't phase him. The flame headed Gym Leader placed himself in between the Marchand heir and this now bleeding maniac.

The maniac brought his hand up to the wound that was pouring on the side of his hand. He could feel it was wet, it made him smile in a wicked manner, Rowtag tensed in response to the man's reaction. "Oh man… shit… that's a lot of blood." The pale man said with his deranged smile, it was more off putting than Seth's. "I can't remember the last time I bled this much… I wouldn't expect less from a former Kurai soldier." The sickly individual said to Rowtag in particular, leaning his head forward a bit as if analyzing the ex-soldier. "Oh look a that… seems the info was right, you are hanging out with the Marchand whore." The pale psycho spoke. Rowtag tensed again, a vein forming on his forehead, Hertha had a look of rage on her face at the insult thrown at her. "Oh what's the matter 'flame boy'? You upset because I upset your _whore_?" The skinny individual said to the fire type Gym Leader.

Before Rowtag could make any form of retaliation, he and Hertha heard footsteps coming behind them. Hertha turned her head to look at the individual coming up behind them. He was dark skinned man, with a hint of red gracing his skin. In a strange green and emerald getup. She also noted that he had a strange tattoo on his neck. "I must apologize for my colleague here. He is quite the bloodthirsty cretin." The newcomer said to the secret lovers. Rowtag and Hertha were trapped between these two, and the word 'colleague' only affirmed a fear that they were somehow working together. "Allow me to introduce myself Rowtag Underwood and Hertha Marchand. I' am Kavi Bosco." The stranger now known as Kavi gave a bit of a bow as he introduced himself. "The bleeding creature behind you is Berach Pesce." Kavi gave a simple point to the bleeding man, his hand still on the side of his head.

"I must say I'm not surprised to see him bleeding right now. He's no match for a well trained soldier, being a mere psychopath will only get you so far." Kavi spoke out as he looked at Rowtag and Hertha.

"Oh Kavi, you hurt me. I thought I was more than a sick, and pale-psychopath to you." Berach said with fake hurt in his voice. "Damn Rowtag, I can't wait until I rip your throat out. You making me bleed, what a fucking joke." Berach seethed with anger. His face contorted in anger and a loss of sanity, well what sanity was barely left. "Too bad for you, you're dead either way, no way to beat me, hell your little slut can't beat me either." Berach laughed as he brought up his hand and opened it to reveal a tattoo on his hand. The letter 'C'. "Come on out and play Carvanha." As soon as Berach finished his sentence, a strange water-type looking Pokemon appeared out of the hole in the wall. It was a red, yellow, and blue fish looking creature. It really was a Carvanha. That gave something Rowtag and Hertha to worry about.

"Always one to rush into things, I might as well show you my Pokemon. Come on out Simisage." Kavi stated as a grass and tropical looking monkey appeared. "As you can tell, the only way for either of you to escape this situation is through defeating us, or through your deaths." Kavi stated calmly.

Rowtag's mind immediately began calculating a way to beat these two. It was gonna be difficult to pull off, but it was the only way for them to stand a chance. These guys were designed and specifically designed to come after the two of them. So his plan was the best shot the two of them had. Now all he had to do was relay the plan to Hertha, without these two assassins hearing it.

* * *

 _Damn it... Hopefully this works… The last thing the stranger in the robes saw was Carr being engulfed by the flames of his Ho-oh's fire. "Oh, how disappointing. The strongest Elite Four member, killed in a single attack. What a bother." The stranger said sighing as he watched the fire spread across the grass and destroyed the earth in front of him._

* * *

 _It hurts…_ That was the only thoughts Carr had heard rattling inside of his head. He had found himself in a crater of some kind. It was dark outside, but it wasn't suppose to be dark outside yet. He hadn't been out that long. His body felt numb and there was a distinct smell of fire or of something burning. He looked to see various bodies of all shapes scattered inside the crater as well. All unique and all still breathing. Though some were in worse shape than others. He and they had lived through the worst. When his vision began to clear more, he saw what was making his world appear so dark. In the sky was a large bird of some kind, and it all came rushing back to him quickly. _My plan worked… but the Ho-oh and his trainer are still out there._ Carr thought as he struggled to pull himself up from the ground.

He was able to scan the crater more clearly now. Each of those unique bodies he saw belonged to his Pokemon. They were all okay, and their Pokeballs laid next to each of them. His Lucario was the first to struggle to get up. Carr eventually made it to his knees, and began his crawl over to his Lucario. Lucario was reluctant at first to use his master as leverage, but Carr wouldn't budge. Now they were on wobbly legs, and were trying to figure up how to get out of the crater. It was going to be a slow climb up in the state they were in. "Come now Lucario. We need to send this stranger off, before he causes anymore damage." Carr said as he aided his Lucario in the climb out of the crater. Lucario could only give a concerned glance back to Carr's other Pokemon. "They'll be fine Lucario. They're strong, they've trained to be." Carr stated simply.

When he finally pulled himself out of the crater he noticed his field had been burnt to the ground. His green meadows now reduced to dirt and rock, mirroring the other half of his battle and training arena. He saw the man in the robes sitting on top of one of the rocks. His curled hair reflecting the sun rays that snuck behind Ho-oh. The man in the multi-colored robes spotted Carr and his Lucario in their current disheveled state. "Oh it seems you are alive Carr Rush." The robed man said jumping off the rock gracefully. "I had a slight gut feeling that Sacred Fire wouldn't be enough to kill you." The man on with the 'H' tattoo on his left pec walked forward a bit before stopping. "Now tell me, how did you survive Ho-oh's most powerful attack?" The 'H' said in a condescending tone.

"I feel that's none of your damn business." Carr said getting in a pseudo-martial arts stance. A special style he invented himself. His Lucario copying his movements. "If you must know, let's say I was much faster than you expected and I had help in surviving." Carr stated to the robed individual.

The robed man gave a condescending clap towards Carr. "Very impressive. I will give it to you, you are quite stubborn. So for surviving Ho-oh's flame I will give you my name." He spread open his arms, revealing his 'H' tattoo. The sunshine had returned and Ho-oh had landed behind the robed strangers. "My name Fulton Regenbonen, the 'H', The Ho-oh." Fulton said out loud his voice echoing across the battle arena. "I will also share another secret with you, so be thankful." Fulton taunted towards the stern and focused martial artist across from him. He pulled his robe opened and revealed a stylized 'E' on his right pec. "I was specifically sent after you not just because I held a distinct advantage over your type. But also because I' am the best of the best of my organization. The 'E' symbolizes something special. The Elite…"

* * *

 **A/N: Yeah, I know. It may not be the chapter that advances the most plot. But it helps set up the next few chapters to come. Sorry about not being to update you guys with a chapter for about a month I believe. Been busy with college and work, "Yeah Accounting" xp.**

 **But hey, we got two accomplishments achieved. First we broke over 300 views. So yeah! Thank you all who've read and continued to read. Also we got our second review. This time from a user named ricepeas. Thanks homie, really appreciate it. Thanks Zero Dark Lunar you anonymous man for your continued reviews.**

 **Review, Favorite, Follow, Criticize (trust me I need it, I want people to tell me what sucks so I can get better), also don't be afraid to make fun of me. Again thank you the reader for being patient and continuing to read. Peace Friendos.**


	12. Chapter XII: Steel Saint Sprinting

**Chapter 12: Steel Saint Sprinting for Safety**

" _COME BACK HERE YOU SPINELESS RATTATA!" Shula screamed as she watched Flint sprint away from the battleground. She immediately began to chase after him as fast as she could, her Infernape running right beside her._

* * *

Flint glanced back nervously as he heard the dark skinned girl scream her head off and began to chase after him. All he could do was look straight ahead again and begin to run faster to get away from her. His Skarmory was surprisingly able to keep up with him, but he was thankful for the large metal creature's speed.

'Shit! Shit! Shit!' Flint thought as he continued running, his heart racing at an alarming speed. His robe and get up was weighing him down, limiting his movements. He quickly dispatched of his robe and threw it back. He noticed it being incinerated by a blast of fire sent towards him. The scariest thing was the fireball was still heading towards him.

Had it not been for his Skarmory's fast thinking he would've been burnt bad. He felt himself being yanked hard and being brought down another alleyway between abandoned factories and warehouses. "Thanks buddy." Flint said to his winged Pokemon as he continued running.

"WHERE ARE YOU HIDING YOU LITTLE COWARD!?" A female voice screamed. Flint wouldn't have been surprised if it shattered some glass with how high pitched it was.

Flint found himself again sprinting as fast as he could throughout the alleys and backstreets in the abandoned district. Though he knew in all likelihood that Shula was hot on his trail.

* * *

However, Flint's preconceived notion of Shula's success was far from the truth. She was having a hard time following the Steel Saint. She was visibly fuming at her inability to find Flint in the various warehouses and factories. Her Infernape could only look away from her in a feeling of shame due to her yelling.

"COME ON OUT YOU LITTLE RUNT! WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF A FULL GROWN WOMAN OR SOMETHING!" She screeched at the top of her lungs. Her hands scrunched and gripped hard together, it was a miracle she hadn't drawn blood at this point. She looked over at her Infernape her annoyance only increased more. "Stop being lazy Infernape and help me find him damn it!" She yelled.

She bumped her forehead down to the Infernape's glaring into it's eyes. The Infernape returned the intense glare back at her. If their type specification wasn't a give away, these two were large hot heads. Always letting their temper and frustration get the better of them.

Before Shula could even speak she heard something off in the distance. The shouting of "Sonuvabitch," from a northeastern position was heard. Shula's frustration was immediately changed from one of frustration to a predatory smirk.

"Now I have you my little Flint, you'll get to know how women work real well." She said seductively and a long drag of her tongue across her lower lip. Her Infernape's expression was one of shock and disgust at her actions. Before having to take off after its master as she maniacally ran towards the sound of Flint's voice.

* * *

Flint was gripping his knee as he banged into a jutting piece of a broken support beam that was sticking out of the ground. It stung like hell for Flint as he breathed in and out hard. His Skarmory was keeping look out for Shula and her Infernape as they would more than likely catch up to the Steel Saint and his Pokemon.

He found himself surprised that she had not arrived in the time for him to get back to moving his leg again. Although he did not run as fast as he had been able to. He continued with his Skarmory in the run to dip in and out of abandoned factories. After a bit of running, they came upon a dilapidated building that was somehow still standing. Support beams were just barely holding up the roof. Holes could be found in random spots in the walls and where the large windows once were. Flint was also amazed to find the machinery and production lines were still in place. Though in very poor condition. It looked as though people just dropped what they were doing and left.

Flint needing a bit of rest rested himself against one of the large production machines, sliding all the way down until his body hit the cold ground beneath him. Hopefully he had been able to out run Shula and her Infernape for now. Skarmory ever vigilant continued to scan and look around while the blonde haired saint reseted.

He didn't have much time for rest as he noticed his Skarmory begin to hiss and screech. His vision focused in on the two figures walking through one of the busted entrance ways. None other than the duo who had been chasing them the entire day. Shula and Infernape.

' _Just great.'_ Flint thought. He speedily brought himself to his feet and prepared himself for the worst. ' _Not the best place for a fight, but maybe I can use it to my advantage.'_ He observed as he took in his surroundings again.

"Well, well, well. Stopped giving us the run around now? Took you long enough little Flint. Now we can actually start playing." The dark skinned assailant said to the blonde haired Gym Leader. The way she dragged on the words 'Flint' and 'playing' was very off putting. The very revealing outfit she wore was not helping either. All he could do was focus on her.

"I'd suggest you stop screwing around and actually take this seriously." Flint told her with irritation present in his voice. He noticed a wry smirk form on her face.

"Oh Flint. That's no fun. Come and play with me Flint. You work too hard for your own good." She said taking a few steps closer to Flint, there was only a few yards separating her and him now. Flint was processing what was the best course of action to take. He didn't like his choices though. It was either to stand and fight her, and hope for help to arrive. Or running again and hoping to escape her, but that option wasn't appealing either.

In a split second decision he made his choice. "Skarmory! Aerial Ace!" Flint commanded to his Steel-Flying type. The Infernape was caught off guard as a force of wind created what was best described as a slash travel through the air and collide with the Infernape's chest throwing it backwards into a production line. The collision tossed equipment around.

Shula was just as caught off guard by Flint's brash actions as the Infernape was. Her shock quickly faded as her perverse smirk came back to her face. The Infernape nipped up and charged at the Skarmory. A vertical ring of fire surrounded the monkey as it collided with the Skarmory knocking it back into a wall. It's body broke the wall it crashed into, bricks following down on the Steel creature.

Flint was too busy focused on worrying about his Skarmory, he didn't notice Shula run up to him. He was too late to notice her and received a swift flash kick to his jaw, knocking him up into the air. He came down with a hard 'thud,' Flint could feel the blood forming in his mouth. He had no other choice but to spit it out.

"Not very saintly like you to spit out your blood. Maybe some of the poorer folks in Temle could've used it." The white clad woman taunted. She notice the irritation and frustration visible on his face.

"Up yours!" Flint yelled at her. He didn't know why this woman riled him up. This had been the first person to do so. And he had to deal with Seth, Rowtag, Betha, Petey, and Birucci's shenanigans. This woman was infinitely worse than all of them combined.

"Oh!" Shula said intrigued and amused. "The saint wants to go for the grand slam, when he hasn't even made it to first base yet. So bold for someone so prudish." She taunted back at him. The ebony haired woman couldn't help but notice the obvious blush and frustrated look on his face.

"Skarmory! Agility into Air Slash!" Flint yelled. In a flash his Skarmory was up and barreling full speed at the Infernape. A visible trail following behind it. One of its wings glowing bright and white, coming down to cut the Infernape.

"Close Combat." A command was muttered, from a feminine voice. Flint immediately knew what was happening. He watched as the Infernape's hands glow blue. Flint had let his anger and frustration get the better of him. He had let this woman get the better of him through taunting. The fists of the Infernape moved at high speeds and made contact with great force on the Skarmory's metal skin. Visible dents could be seen on the Pokemon. A final punch was thrown and the Skarmory's large and heavy body smashed into another set of machinery.

Flint's body was forced to double over as a swift knee was brought to his stomach, forcing him to cough up blood from his face. His head and body then found the floor quite quickly as a spinning back fist collided with his head. All this pain thanks to the dark skinned woman chasing him down.

Flint's body hurt. He was sure his jaw had been broken, a few burns on his body, and just pain all around. He noticed his Skarmory wasn't moving either. He needed to get his Skarmory to safety, as well as himself. However before he could make a move he was forced onto his back due to a swift kick to his stomach. He found a boot planted solidly on his chest, pressure being forced onto it. Shula smirking down at him.

"You know maybe you should trade in all that charitability for actual strength. I didn't know I'd be given such a weakling to play with." Shula said crassly. Her smirk ever prevalent.

"Screw… you…" Flint said weakly. His retort was returned with a more force applied to his chest. He found himself coughing some more due to the pressure.

"You know, you're making it real hard to play with you. Be glad I like a good challenge." Shula said with a frown on her face. Flint was at least happy that her stupid smirk was off her face. Though he gritting his teeth and fighting back the pain building in his body. "Now, time to rid of you and your weak Pokemon." She said aloud, not caring that Flint that right beneath her.

In a moment of what could be considered pervertedness, he saw something odd about her tattoo. The top portion of the 'I' tattoo a glowed a faint color, a specific shade of red and orange, it was safe to assume that the lower half in her extremely short shorts was glowing as well. Flint turned his head to see the Infernape begin to build a large flame around it. So intense that Flint noticed some of the metal around him begin to bend and glow. ' _Shit… I'm sorry Skarmory… damn my weakness.'_ Flint thought sadly.

He felt the inferno around the Infernape increase and increase. The heat growing unbearable. Flint's eyes were brought open as the pressure on his chest and the inferno immediately died. As a large explosion went off.

Flint thought he was dead. He refused to open his eyes just in case he actually died. He heard a low rumble of a terrifying Pokemon, and immediately opened his eyes. His face relaxed and a small smile found its way on his face. He took notice of the large beasts three horns, a small one on the tip of its jaw and two large straight horns coming from the top of its frill. A large-thick tail pounded against the ground. It took a defensive position over Flint and between Shula and her Infernape between the Skarmory. It let out a terrifying roar, shaking the building.

Flint dragged himself to his feet. His body hurt, but right now he couldn't care. He looked Shula dead in her eyes. Determination written on his face, and anger and frustration etched on hers.

"Shula…" Flint said aloud, catching the dark skinned woman's attention. "I'd like you to meet my strongest Pokemon… Aggron…"

* * *

 **A/N: Hey it's me again. No I'm not dead… if you were wondering that… you probably weren't though. Either way sorry for the chapter being so late. Between college, work, personal life, and a vacation its been hard writing another chapter for this story. I think this story turned out quite well though.**

 **I probably screwed up somewhere though. So please, feel free to shit on me and point out my mistakes if need be.**

 **Also in the past few days I've noticed a large spike in Canadian readers. I'd like to thank them for coming in and reading. I also thank all of the rest of my readers for reading this story. It's nice of you to do so.**

 **Thank you for again reading. Review. Follow. Favorite. It's very much appreciated friends.**


	13. Chapter XIII: A Double Act of Cowardice

**Chapter 13: A Double Act of Cowardice**

" _Shula…" Flint said aloud, catching the dark skinned woman's attention. "I'd like you to meet my strongest Pokemon… Aggron…"_

* * *

Shula's confident and cocksure attitude quickly faded as she gazed upon the three-horned beast in front of her. The Steel Saint's smile and positive attitude did help her current disposition. The size of the Pokemon was absurd. She knew Aggron grew to large sizes and were intimidating creatures. But, this one was abnormally large. She could swear the horns were longer, larger, and sharper than other Aggron she'd seen in the past.

She glanced down at her Infernape. It was panting, clearly due to the overexertion of trying to incinerate Flint and his Skarmory. Their little cat and mouse game before hand didn't help to the Infernape's tired state. The Pokemon across from her was fresh. No damage taken, full of stamina, and ready to fight to protect its trainer from harm.

Her options at this moment were limited to an extreme degree. She could stand and fight. Hopefully dragging this fight out, and using Infernape's superior speed and striking distance to her advantage. Or, she could do the one thing she hated the most. The thing that enraged her more than anything in this world. The one thing she would yell and call out her enemies and opponents for time and time again.

She could run. It hurt her whole being just thinking of the idea to run away from this fight. Her mind was still trying to process what she could to do. She was too focused on her own internal dilemma that she hadn't notice the large grey and black creature begin to move.

"AGGRON EARTHQUAKE!" The command rang out across the abandoned and deteriorating warehouse. Flint's Aggron rose its right foot up off the ground and brought it down quickly.

' _Shti!'_ Shula thought. She could immediately feel the entire earth shake and move. Up and down, left and right. She could swear it looked like water to her. The remaining beams holding what was left of the roof began falling down. Cracks in the earth began to split open.

"Infernape Flamethrower!" Shula yelled. Her Infernape put all that he had left into the attack. The intensity of the heat melting the remaining equipment in the fire's path. Shula put her arm up to hopefully block the heat of the flame. Her Infernape was definitely on its last leg.

"Iron Defense!" Flint commanded as he watched the flame travel across the warehouse. Aggron made himself appear larger. The blonde saint could see Aggron's body begin to shine as if a protective layer had formed on him. The intense flames crashed into Aggron. Thankfully Flint had moved himself behind Aggron. He could see the flames begin to peek around and flash by Aggron's body. Flint's focus was quickly taken away from the flames to the sound of creaking and rubble tumbling. The blonde gym leader quickly raised his head to see the roof beginning to shake and fall apart around him and his Pokemon. He reached for his Skarmory's Pokeball and hastily returned the hurt flying-type to its temporary home. He was not able to act fast enough though to avoid the rest of the roof collapsing in on him and his Aggron.

* * *

She looked at was going on in front of her as she saw the building collapse in on her target and his Pokemon. She couldn't stand around and wait to see if they appeared out of the rubble, so she did what she had to. Shula took this opportunity to flee. She grabbed her wobbling Infernape and turned tail. She had difficulty running through the earthquake still occurring under her feet. Along with having to dodged the collapsing building around her. She weaved and dodged her way past the collapsing walls and beams. She was able to safely to traverse her way out the entrance she took, running still to get a good amount of distance between herself and the collapsing building.

She finally chose to stop running believing she had made enough ground between herself and the collapsing factory. She was still trying to catch her breath when she heard a large booming sound. She quickly turned her head to look at the factory no longer there. All that was left was a large pile of rubble.

She moved a few steps back towards the collapsed factory. Comically dropping her Infernape whom supported itself on her. The burning ape monkey let out a growl of irritation as she hit and the ground. Infernape glanced back up at Shula with irritation on its face. The Infernape could see dark skinned woman's hands shaking as they twitched and shook. Until tightening into a fist.

"Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!" She shouted at the crushed and smoking building. She picked up a bottle and threw it towards the building in frustration. The bottle never even made it a fraction to the factory. Shula paced herself back and forth, until noticing her Infernape's look of unamusement.

"Oh shut up!" Shula yelled towards her Pokemon. Infernape merely gave his own name in response.

"You know why I'm upset. I didn't get to play with 'The Little Saint.'" She continued on with irritation. Her face contorting into a series of strange faces. Infernape still made no reaction.

"Oh I see. You're jealous I got more time to play with aren't you!? Yeah I caught you red handed!" The dark skinned woman's voice echoed around the abandoned industrial district.

"Yeah right the boss is gonna be mad. All we had to do was kill him, no matter what. Well he's dead. So deal with it." She told her assigned Pokemon, poking its head every word she spoke. The Infernape gave no response again. She grunted in frustration, before storming off.

"Come on you lazy monkey! We got a report to file!" The 'I' shouted to her Pokemon, turning to face the direction out of the old industrial district. The Infernape could only exhale and sigh, rubbing its head in annoyance. The Infernape looked at the collapsed structure once again, squinting his eyes. The firey monkey turned its back to the building, taking off towards its trainer.

* * *

' _They say opening your eyes after your birth is incredible, I'd like to say this is.'_ Thought a certain blonde haired leader. His saint like robes completely discarded, leaving a tight black undershirt on his body, and loose white and golden pants. He was currently in the grasp of a large beasts arm. He watched as his Pokemon clawed his way through the dirt. The grey-horned beast moved at good speeds, taking large chunks of earth with each swipe.

' _It's a good thing I taught him dig with he was Lairon.'_ Flint reflected happily on that memory. It sure did come in handy in many of situations, in and out of battle. He felt himself being lowered to the ground next to Aggron's large leg. He saw his giant Steel Pokemon give a giant swipe with both of his clawed hands. Flint had to block his eyes to keep the dirt and debris from blinding him. When he finally opened them he saw the light of the afternoon sun beating down.

' _Damn. She's was chasing us for a good while.'_ The Steel Saint contemplated as he looked at the light a bit, before being brought out of his thoughts by his Pokemons call. Flint looked up and patted his Pokemon's tree trunk like leg.

"Good job bud." Flint complimented. Aggron responded with a groan of his own name. Flint and Aggron cautiously made their way out of the makeshift hole. Flint in his search for his would be killer, saw the factory they fought in completely broken and collapsed in on itself.

"Well we got out of their at the right time eh Aggron?" The blonde Gym Leader nervously laughed to his strongest Pokemon. Aggron simply nodded his large Triceratopian head to his trainer. Flint in a swift motion climbed onto his Pokemon's back taking a hold of his horns to secure his hold.

"Alright, we gotta head to the gym Aggron. We have to inform the others." Flint told Aggron. The grey beast said his own name in response, taking off as fast as he could towards his gym. Flint had this eery feeling creeping on him. Something just didn't feel right about this.

" _Jeez, the boss said you were the silent type, but I didn't know you were this silent."_

' _Boss… she was working for someone else. Someone who would have knowledge of my strengths. And would assign someone to take advantages of my weaknesses.'_ The Blonde Saint thought as he watched as Aggron barreled through the streets of Temle on the way to his gym. He had to warn the others, there could be more of these people on the prowl.

* * *

Near the intersection of the industrial, living, and business districts of Temle sat a large metallical building. In the shape of a church, it wasn't for religious reasons. It just sort of happened when it was designed long ago. It also didn't help add to Flint's nicknames relating to his 'saintliness.'

He was currently sat at his desk, using his computer to try and contact his fellow council members. However, none of them were picking up. Maybe they were under attack as well. He didn't know. His fears were increasing. He did have one last call to make, and he personally didn't want to make it. He didn't know how he would feel if he knew this person had beat his killer. He had to shove that thought aside, and made the call. He saw the Pokeball like symbol rotate and rotate. He waited anxiously, staring at the screen. In a flash he saw the screen pop to life. The person on the screen was not who he expected.

"Hello?" Called out a womanly voice. Her face was perfectly clear. Her soft face and chestnut hair making it clear who it was.

"Toski!? What the hell are you doing in Arda?" Flint asked the Hive Mother in confusion. "Nevermind that, where's Seth, where are the others?" Flint questioned in rapid succession.

"Well 'hello' to you too Flint." She said with a fake pout and upset voice.

"Toski, I'm sorry, but I've had a rough day, where are the rest of Kurai's council members?" Flint asked again.

"It's all right Flint, just pulling your leg." She said sweetly. "The rest of Kurai's council members are here in Arda. We'll explain later." She told the Steel Saint seriously. Quite the tone change for someone who was so outwardly sweet. "But wait, weren't you attacked? How are you here?" She asked him

"I was attacked by this crazy tattooed woman in white and luckily escaped her pursuit. And how did you know I was attacked?" Flint asked back in confusion.

"Well Seth and Alva were also attacked by tattooed and white cladded people as well. As have Carr, Rowtag, and Hertha." Toski informed him. "We sent Edlin to go and help you-

' _Oh Arceus please not him.' Flint groaned inwardly._

, but it seems you escaped out fairly well. Well… sans for your fancy robes." She added.

"Well what should I do when he arrives?" The blonde haired Gym Leader asked.

"The best thing right now is to head back up to Arda, from what we heard the Elite Four Complex came under attack as well. We have all of the remaining Elite Four and Gym Leaders not sent out on recovery up here in Arda. So you could say Arda is our temporary headquarters." The brown haired girl responded.

"Arda… really? I mean a lot of the other Gyms must've been wrecked if we have to have Arda as our temporary headquarters." Flint mumbled out to himself.

"Actually Arda isn't that bad. The people are a little rough around the edges, but it's not that bad after a while. It's still weird how dark it is though." Toski told him to hopefully show his ill thoughts out of his head.

"Where is Seth in all of this?" Flint questioned just now realizing where Arda's Gym Leader's location was.

Toski's serious expression shifted to something of hurt. "He got hurt real bad. Internal damage to his left arm, doctors say he'll never be able to feel anything in that arm anymore. He took a nasty Thunderbolt to his left arm protecting Alva. He also suffered major internal and external damage as well."

Flint was shocked to hear this. He was never Seth's biggest fan, hell he had a relatively negative view of the guy. But, to hear what had happened to him, after trying to protect someone, a fellow Kurai Gym Leader at that. Seth was always so crude and brash towards to his fellow colleagues. But, he seemingly protected someone from potential death even. This in itself was shocking aside from Seth's injuries.

Flint slowly exhaled the breath he held in. "Hopefully the others are able to pull the others out of the fire."

* * *

 **A/N: Well, well, well. Look at this. Another chapter. I know, I know. It's been a long while, a little over a month or so? It's mainly been college, work, and personal life taking up time from continuing this. But, I'm glad I was able to get another chapter out for all of you. Hopefully you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Also, you didn't think I was gonna give away another climactic finish did you?**

 **As always; Review, Follow, Favorite, critique my work and make fun of me. Thank you for reading and being very patient for this new chapter to come out.**


	14. An Update For the Patient People

**Hello fans and viewers, and to those still discovering this little world my stupid mind has created, I thank you. Now I know some of you have been waiting for a new chapter or an update from me for a long ass while. And well this is an update. I'm gonna being going back through each chapter and rereading them, and making some well needed adjustments to them, because I myself have read through the story, and I personally think it's kind of crap. Now you guys can enjoy, in my mind, I don't think it's my best work. Especially with the first chapter of my newest story "Thy Shattered Kingdom," I think I can do a lot better. I won't be entirely rewriting entire chapters (hopefully), I'm just gonna be making edits to help the stories flow and make more sense.**

 **** **I really do thank all of you who have been very patient with me and waiting, I really do. Hopefully I can make a good chapter that satisfies your long wait, and hopefully I can continue the story that will keep you reading.**


End file.
